The Indifferences of Fate
by The Queen of Asgard
Summary: Now back on Earth, Penny and John are miserable, masquerading as a married couple, but surviving. What happens when the universe decides to throw fate in their faces? John may not be the last Spartan left after all. John-117/OC     READ AND REVIEW!
1. Stir Fry and New Neighbors

**Hi and welcome! If you're a new reader, I must warn you this is a SEQUEL to a prior story of mine, "Lend me Your Hand and I'll Show You the Stars" so start your journey with Thel and Emmaline over in that general direction. To oldies who have been waiting for this story, welcome back, I missed you guys more than you'd think. It's probably the number one reason I've decided to start this story a week earlier than was expected. Of course, we all know that this story is going to be primarily Penny and John, but what some people didn't know what that this story also includes the journal of Dr. Emmaline Jackson and her experience on Sangheilos with Thel. **

**Of course, the same thing goes to this story as well as the last one. I require a playlist and so if you have a song that works for a character, a situation or anything similar to that, please leave it in a review or PM me. This story will be just as, if not, more exciting as LMYHAISYTS (Too long to type out. XD) I hope you guys will sit back for the ride and if you haven't read through the FIRST story, this one will be here when you get back so don't worry your pretty little heads about how Penny got to be with John. All is explained in the first story.**

** As always, the happy little notes at the beginning...**

**Halo** **© Bungie, 343 Industries, Microsoft**  
**Penny Waits © The Flamboyant Cuttlefish**

**Reviews are appreciated but aren't required. I love getting them, even if it's to tell me you love my story or just want to say hi. Anything really helps, I love seeing the emails in my inbox. **

**Flames will be used for marshmallows and the barbeque.**

**Now, without further ado, I give you...  
"The Indifferences of Fate"  
A Halo Fanfiction **

* * *

**Chapter One:  
Stir Fry and New Neighbors**

* * *

_"No Light, No light  
in your bright blue eyes,  
I never knew daylight could be so violent,  
Revelation in the light of day,  
You can't choose what stays  
And what fades away..."  
_

* * *

_Date: August 28th, 2559_

_Location: Portland, Oregon: United Republic of North America, Earth_

The sun was beating down on the little suburb in Portland and Betty Zimmer didn't like it one bit. It was far too early in the summer to allow such things as the sun to get in her way but in her way they did get. She shielded her eyes and scowled at the thing that was ruining her day. Of course, she would have missed the sun if it was gone, what with the whole planet being dead and all, but of course, it wasn't in Betty's nature to not take things for granted.

Her scowl quickly turned into a smile as she saw her two best friends and notable nosy neighbors, Edith White and Vicky Bennett hurrying across the street to meet her. All three were in their mid to late 30's with husbands of the same age. Each one had hair that was dreadfully similar to the others and they all had dull grey eyes, strangely enough. Each one also had two children, the same age as the other women's two children.

Their lives were perfect and they didn't like change. However, change was on the horizon.

"Did you see the house on the corner sold?" Was the first thing out of Edith's mouth as she hurried over to Betty's side. "I saw some UNSC personnel skulking around it yesterday. Do you think it's some rehabilitation house for soldiers coming from the war?"

Vicky sniffed and waved her hand, dismissing the notion, "Really Edith, if it was a house for wayward soldiers, they would have purchased it when the war was actually ending."

"Well the house wasn't for sale then, was it Vicky?" She retorted back and then turned back to Betty, "If it is military related, we can kiss the neighborhood goodbye."

Betty made a clucking noise and shook her head, "If it turns out to be military related, I'm packing up my kids and getting as far away from this place as I can. Henry would surely agree with me. Those Marines were a wily bunch!"

"Yes, well, at least the war's over," Vicky said and Betty and Edith nodded in agreement. The temperature seemed to go up another 10 degrees while the women were standing there but none of them wanted to go inside in case they missed the arrival of their new neighbors. It was rare that a homeowner wouldn't move into a house within a week of purchase in that neighborhood. Homes went fast in this upstanding neck of the woods.

Sure enough, after several glasses of iced tea and a few games of pinochle later, a black SUV, big enough to hold at least eight people, pulled up into the driveway of 47129 NE Black Bear Drive.

"Oh, here comes the grand entrance, ladies." Edith chided, "Looks military enough to me!"

"Edith, calm down," Betty said, sipping her drink, "Plenty of people own black SUVs, not just military people."

The door of the driver's side opened slowly and the women held their breath as a young lady stepped out of the passenger seat. Compared to the old housewives in their wicker chair, this woman was a breath of fresh air. She had short frizzy red hair that was tied back in a messy ponytail and her eyes were a shocking green color. Her skin was extremely pale but it wasn't in a sickly way, just more of a way that made her look as if she had been working in a lab or something her whole life. She was short and tiny with barely enough on top to be considered breasts and a smirk plastered on her full, pink lips.

She wore a minimal amount of makeup but that only accentuated her high cheekbones and almond shaped eyes. She wasn't beautiful by any means but her features made her stand out in a crowd.

Suddenly, the passenger door opened and out stepped the most opposite couple Edith had ever seen in her whole life. Her partner was an extremely tall man, probably gracing almost seven feet, with excess amounts of scars riddling his exposed arms and face. His biceps were huge and so was the rest of him. His dark brown eyes had bags underneath them like he hadn't slept in days and his dark brown hair was unkempt and dull. He looked so gloomy and lifeless compared to his vibrantly colored partner. Only his eyes sparkled with unfamiliar hostility that had never been seen on Black Bear Drive before.

Betty saw the girl's age. Barely 25, by the looks of it. Betty looked at the man. He had to at least 40, if not older.

Her stomach churned and she leaned over to her friends, "Did you two see the age difference between those two?"

"I wonder if he's a gold digger," Edith mused, tapping her long, buzzard-like finger against her thin lips, "I don't think he is but you never know about these sorts of thing, do you?"

"You just never know," Betty agreed before standing up and observing the scene. The woman made her way around to the man's side and began talking to him. His face never changed but Betty could see him nod in agreement with something she said. The woman scowled and rolled her eyes but the man seemed to take no notice of that. Finally, Betty could take it no longer and so she stepped off the porch and made her way across the street. "Yoo hoo! Hi, I'm Betty Zimmer, your neighbor."

The woman watched the trio with wary eyes before sticking her hand out awkwardly and grinning, "Oh the welcoming committee already, nice to meet you Betty, my name is Patricia Waits, but you can call me Penny." She motioned to the big man with a jerk of her thumb and rolled her eyes, "And this big hulk of a man is my husband, John."

The women felt their eyes drawn back to the man. He gave the aura of a man who could break a car in half if he wanted to but yet he was so calm…so quiet. Betty wondered if he had served in the Marines. Hard not to be recruited when one was the size of the beasts they were fighting.

"I see," Edith said, pushing Betty out of the way, "And where are you two from?"

"We're from Montana," Penny said, without missing a beat, "Billings area. I got moved here because of a job opening at University of Portland in their science department."

"And are you a woman of science, Penny?" Vicky asked dryly. She was a woman who leaned solely on the full understanding of God, being a devote Mormon all her life. Instantly, her tolerance went to disliking.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am," She answered back coolly and was quiet until Betty broke the silence.

"So, how long have you two been married?"

"It'll be two years in a week," The Penny said instantly, the words slipping off her tongue and Betty smiled widely.

"Oh we should throw you an anniversary party! It would go perfectly with your welcome to the neighborhood party!" Edith gushed and Betty swore she saw a look of terror go over the young woman's face.

"Oh, thank you but that's highly unnecessary…We have our own plans for that evening." She tried to get out but Edith held out a hand to silence her.

"Of course it's not unnecessary! It's not every day you move into a new house AND have your anniversary in the same week! It's our gift to you!"

"Well thank you but we actually do have a military dinner to attend to that night." She explained sheepishly and Betty felt her insides churn. So they WERE from the UNSC. What were they doing here?

"What did you do in the military?" Vicky asked accusingly and Penny winced at her tone.

"I was an antimatter researcher and John…"

"Can speak for himself," Vicky interrupted and Penny glared at the woman and scowled.

"My husband was a Marine, one of the best and only one to make it off of Halo alive. He was up there, keeping humanity safe while you were on your fat ass, he was up there working off his to make sure that you got your tea and crumpets on time every single morning."

Betty was taken aback by this girl's brash behavior. Obviously she was extremely protective of her husband but she didn't need to throw in derogatory language!

Vicky swelled up, ready to retaliate but then just said, "If you want to use that sort of language around here, I'll have your ass handed over to the police for violating the peace!"

"Guess what sugar?" The fiery redhead spat back, "The police are in the palm of the UNSC's hand. I'll just tell them that you were harassing my husband."

Vicky, for a second, looked like she was going to strike the young woman but then just clenched her fists, turned on her heel and marked away from the group in a huff. Penny turned back to the group and tucked a strand of dislodged hair behind her ear.

"I'm so sorry about that! I don't usually use strong language but I'm the man in this relationship." She glanced back at her husband and grinned slightly, but he was as passive as ever.

"It's alright; Vicky can get a little heated when she gets angry." She chuckled and then turned back to Edith, "Well, do you two have any children?"

Penny laughed, casting her eyes downward, "Unfortunately, I'm infertile. I couldn't have kids, even if I wanted to."

This got coos of sympathy from the other women which Penny waved away like smoke. "It's alright, there's always adoption and it means no morning after pills if you catch my drift," Penny winked suggestively and the other two women tittered nervously. "Anyway, we have some unpacking to do and such before I can get dinner on the stove tonight. It was very nice to meet you both and when I'm not working, we should get together for tea or something. I have some rather fancy china I've been dying to use since I got out of the service. Maybe I can make it up to your friend." She laughed gaily and then bade her goodbyes to the neighbors as they walked off arm in arm to discuss the new neighbors who might possibly threaten their way of life.

Penny turned to John and her smile dropped instantly, "You could have jumped in at any moment," She hissed and she saw one eyebrow arch.

"You had it covered perfectly," He said in his deep, monotone voice that would make any other woman weak at the knees. However, Penny Waits wasn't any old woman. She was the "wife" of a Spartan, the scientist at the University of Portland. She made a face up at the sky and wondered what her best friend was doing at the moment. Penny knew that she and The Arbiter were getting ready to leave for Sanghelios and she felt a pang of longing for the times they had spent bonding with K'vada on the Shield World.

"Lying comes naturally to me, if you couldn't tell," She said automatically before turning back to the house. "If you could help me with these boxes, I would seriously be the happiest woman in the world."

"It doesn't take a lot to please you."

"Good job. I think sarcasm is coming back faster than expected." She said cynically, rolling her eyes, "Seriously, they're too heavy for me to carry."

John picked up several boxes and then made his way up the stairs and into the cool two story house. It was a bungalow, small but perfect for two or three people. He frowned slightly and glanced at the walls and furniture that seemed like they had been there forever. The walls were forest green with a white trim and sheer off-white curtains with a fireplace and a television over it. To the right was a perfect kitchen with a bar that looked into the living room. There was dark red furniture, suede by the looks of it placed intricately in various places around the room.

John's frown turned into a slight smirk when he caught sight of "wedding" photographs on counters and walls, just in case somebody might question his complete and utter union to Dr. Patricia Waits. She was smiling and it seemed like she was happy but John sort of thought that he was grimacing. It didn't look convincing in the slightest and he seemed uncomfortable in a tuxedo, a woman in his arms rather than a gun.

"Wow, they really dolled this place up," Penny's smooth voice drifted into John's thoughts and he turned around to see the plucky redhead in the door, a box in her own hand. They held things that Penny had brought from her own life including books and trinkets that had she had kept in storage. She looked at John and then back to the living room. THEIR living room. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," He said automatically, even though it was a lie. Penny made a face and narrowed her eyes.

"Bull," She called out and arched an eyebrow, "I'm a born liar John, I can see through them like glass."

He didn't respond to this but then asked, "Where do you want the box?"

Penny glanced towards the pictures and then sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just put it on the stairs and I'll get to it. What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything is fine, I'm not picky." John said, doing as he was told.

Penny glanced towards the box but didn't move. Instead, she crossed her hands over her chest and cocked her hair, looking at her so called husband. "I had them set up two separate bedrooms. As long as nobody asks about anything, we should be good. Is pasta alright?"

"Yeah," He said curtly and a silence enveloped the two. Neither was too thrilled on the current situation but both could think of worse things. Like, for instance, being disemboweled by the Flood. Penny leaned against the couch and cocked her hip slightly, watching John's face for any change.

"I know we're not happy about this but…" She ran a hand through her curly red hair, leaving it standing on end and then smiled sadly, "Can we just play the part? For instance, how about just pretending we're in love?"

"Alright, I can respect that," He said before sitting down on the couch, wincing slightly. He couldn't help thinking about the war whenever he saw the color of these couches, the red hues bringing back difficult memories for the Spartan.

John couldn't help but dislike the neighborhood and its inhabitants. The houses were all the same, just like the cars, people and atmosphere of everything around it. He longed to be back in space, killing something. He was a born killer and he doubted humanity would ever need saving from a bunch of plastic flamingoes and backyard sprinklers.

Penny moved towards the kitchen and began to shove things into drawers and pulled out a wok. "I'm going to make stir-fry," She stated to no one in particular and then placed the wok on the stove and the stove instantly warmed. "You are more than welcome to let me cook," She smiled slightly and rolled her eyes, "I'll call you when we're ready to eat."

"Sound good," He responded and began to make his way up the stairs. The landing too was decorated with pictures of times that had been posed as soon as they had gotten to Earth. Hawaii, a fair, and a kiss, which looked definitely staged from John's side of the picture.

When the Spartans were augmented, their thyroids had been implanted with hormones that would make him grow quickly but the problem was that his sexual drive was suppressed. He didn't think Penny really minded though. Or at least, that was the façade she put on.

He wandered down the hallway until he reached a guest bedroom complete with a spotlessly made bed, a white dresser, a closet, reading chair with a lamp, and a bedside table to complete the ensemble. He had valiantly let Penny take the master bedroom and as he walked in, he fell onto the bed, making the room shake slightly. He couldn't believe that a few short years ago, he was defending Earth from a homicidal race of aliens and now…he was in a house with a so called "wife" in the middle of a neighborhood on Earth. He would give anything to be back on Halo, destroying all in his way. He was a Valkyrie to the marines and now, he was just a househusband.

He glanced out the window and saw that despite the heat, there were kids laughing and playing Grav-Ball, in a field about three hundred yards on the other side of the street. One child, a little girl, seemed to be the star of the show, shouting commands at her team to get the ball and plowing over those who stood in her way. John's mouth turned up in a little smirk. She acted the same way he had when he was a child. She was smart, commanding and even when her teammate fell down and started crying; she helped him back up and helped him over to the sidelines where he cheered for his team.

Instantly, he was intrigued with this child and her cornrows and floppy shirt. She wore a radiant grin and her coffee colored skin was covered in scabs and bruises. He wondered who she was and wondered, if the Spartan program was still operational, how long it would take for her to be stolen away just as he was, so many years ago.

The little girl went back to playing Grav-Ball and John turned away from the window and tried to concentrate on the books that littered the shelves. Classics like "The Great Gatsby" and "Crime and Punishment" were intermingling in newer, far more popular books such as, "The Covenant's Keeper" by Paula Gorsy. He had heard of her before and instantly had disliked her when he heard what she wrote about. This particular story was about a young woman who had been taken away by the Covenant because of something different about her and pledged to marry the Prophet Truth. Through 454 pages, (453 more than there should have been, in John's humble opinion) she realizes that she's not so angry with the Covenant and actually loves Truth. At the end of the book, there is a long, graphic sex scene and then she dies of complications, leaving Truth wondering if humans were really all that bad.

John picked up the book and looked at the front of it. On the cover was an extremely voluptuous woman in the arms of an artist's portrayal of a San 'Shyuum, which was vastly different than what they looked like in real life. He should know; he killed one.

He continued to look down at the book until with disgust; he threw it into to the garbage can, wondering all the while how it had gotten there in the first place.

The phone downstairs began to ring and John heard Penny pick it up. He figured it was a friend of Penny's or something and his thoughts were confirmed when she laughed at something the person on the other line had said.

"Oh no, I'm really looking forward to teaching tomorrow," She explained as a sizzle drowned out the rest of the sentence, "I don't think John minds. It'll do him some good if I'm out of the house. Mmmhmm…yes, of course I'll do the same. I'll be looking for your letter! What sort of friend would I be if I didn't do that?"

The conversation continued until Penny bade her goodbyes and he caught whiffs of the stir fry cooking and closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he had actually had a meal cooked FOR him. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time that he had gotten food that wasn't from the military.

"John!" Penny's voice drifted over the intoxicating smell of the stir fry, "Dinner!"

He moved slowly from the bed to the door and stood on the threshold for a few seconds, looking at the pictures. How badly he wanted to tear them down, never look at them again. They were mocking the fact that he could never love, never really experience those emotions.

Of course, even if he could experience love or even lust, it probably wouldn't be with Penny. She was sweet, kind and bubbly…the exact opposite of John. If anything, he wished she was a Spartan too. He remembered the feeling of a crush though. It had been when he was thirteen and she had been taller than him. He knew that it was a forbidden feeling, but he couldn't help it. She was perfect, better than any other woman that graced the face of any planet.

But Kelly-087 was dead, as was all the other Spartans and Dr. Halsey. John continued slowly down the stairs and caught sight of Penny's red cheeks that matched her red hair, smiling slightly up at him. Her forehead had a sheen of sweat and her green eyes were tired. He wondered, for a split second, if she had once had someone too, like he had once had Kelly.

"Well come on then," Penny said and turned on her heel back towards the kitchen. "I hope you like it spicy because that's the way I like it."

"No, that's fine," John said and Penny looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it.

"Did you like the room they put you up in?" She asked as he sat down, pulling his water glass towards him.

"It's alright, the book selection was…interesting."

Penny sat the still steaming plate of food in front of John and then sat down across from him, "Interesting? In what way?"

John took a bite of food before continuing. True to her word, the stir fry had a definite kick at the end. He reached for his water glass and drank deeply and she chuckled. "

"Is it too much for you, Spartan?" She teased as she pointed at him with her fork. "I told you, it's spicy."

"I believed you the first time you said it," John said, setting down his water glass, "The book was that terrible one by Paula Gorsy."

She gasped and brought her hands up to her mouth, "Not that terrible one…The Covenant's Keeper, wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid it was."

Penny coughed slightly and slammed a fist against her chest, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea…they should have known better than to put that trash in your room." Penny shook her head angrily and took another forceful bite of chicken, "I read that book and I found it to be in extremely poor taste. I'm sorry you even came into contact with it."

"You're fine, it's not your fault," John assured her but he could see her red cheeks were even redder.

Dinner fell into an uncomfortable silence until he spoke again, "I met her, Paula Gorsy."

Penny glanced up, her eyes curious, "How did you meet her?"

John stood up and took his plate back over to the stove to get more food, "She came to Reach to talk to the Spartans about the Covenant for research for her books. Halsey chased her off the base and she never came back."

"Well, obviously she found someone willing to share the information with her or else she would have never written it then." Penny mused, helping herself to a pot sticker, "You don't think someone gave her that information?"

"Hard to know," John said from the kitchen, "From the look of the book, she didn't know too much about the Covenant."

Penny thought about The Arbiter and the Elites in the book, so vastly different. "Obviously not."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and John bristled as soon as the noise was heard, "Oh relax, would you?" Penny rolled her eyes and stood up, brushing off the crumb she had on her tank top before moving to the door.

At the door, was a very pretty African American woman with an afro tucked behind a decorative headband and a little girl beaming up at Penny; the woman smiling at Penny and held a Tupperware container in her right arm.

"Hi, can I help you?" Penny asked pleasantly and the woman shifted the bowl from her right to left hand and held it out.

"Hi, my name is Latisha Banes and I'm your next door neighbor," She looked down at the little girl and John instantly recognized her as the leader in the Grav-Ball game, "This is my daughter…"

"Mommy," The little girl insisted, "I am seven years old. I can tell her my name!"

Latisha looked down at her daughter and smiled, "I guess she wants to introduce herself."

The little girl stepped forward and puffed out her chest, "My name is Nikki Banes and I am the Grav-Ball champion of the world!"

John stepped behind Penny and she could see Latisha's eyes widen slightly at the contrast between the two.

"Nice to meet you both; I'm Penny Waits and this is my husband, John." She felt one of John's hands on her shoulder and she took it and squeezed it gently.

"Whoa, are you a Spartan?" Nikki demanded and Penny felt her stomach give a little lurch.

"Now Nikki," Her mother chided, obviously embarrassed, "It's not nice to ask people…"

"But Mommy," She insisted, "He's so tall! Spartans had to be tall to fit into all that armor! Most were around six and a half to seven feet!" She turned back to Penny and John, "And I knew what their secret sign was…A Spartan Smile!" She quickly swiped her index finger from the bottom of her left ear across her lips and then to her right ear and then back again, grinning all the while. However, when John didn't return the motion, her smile faded slightly.

"Nikki!" Her mother scolded, her cheeks blazing darkly before turning back to Penny and John, "She's been into Spartans since she was very little…ever since her father's been telling her about how he once fought by the Master Chief's side in New Mombasa…" She shook her head, obviously exasperated with her husband. "He might have been some super human but that doesn't mean that I need two people in my household idolizing him."

Penny chuckled slightly and looked down at the little girl who was still looking up at John in rapt adoration.

"I wanna be a Spartan too," She continued, "But Daddy says that they only use the best of the best and…" She tucked her head and blushed modestly, "Well, I AM the best Grav-Ball player at my school and if I was to become a Spartan, I'd have to be more kick butt, like my dad."

Latisha thrust the container into Penny's hands and then touched her daughter's head, "Well, I need to be getting home and starting our own dinner but it was very nice to meet you both."

"Well, if you're ever available, I would love to have tea with you," Penny said, smiling, "You're the first person who's actually treated us like people since we came in this afternoon. We met the greeting party…"

Latisha's face broke into a small smile and she closed her eyes for a few seconds, "I'm guessing you met the Three Fates."

Penny laughed and rolled her eyes, "Is that what you call them?"

Latisha chuckled too and glanced down the street, "They're the people who determine whether or not you have friends in this neighborhood."

"Well, I already don't think they like us," Penny assured Latisha and she made a face.

"They're all a bunch of hypocrites who think they're still in high school. They don't like me either but that's okay because I don't like three quarters of the people in this neighborhood." Latisha made a face and pretended like she was stabbing someone. "Anyway, I hope you like summer salads because that's what I made."

Penny opened the lid slightly and a wave of garlic and lime caught her by surprise. Latisha laughed and then noticed that Nikki and John were in a serious conversation inside the house, due to the fact that both women had been so busy talking, they hadn't seen the little girl go past.

"Nikki!" Latisha gasped, horrified.

"…And they are never listed as KIA," She was going on about Spartans, by the sound of it, "They're always listed as MIA to guarantee the idea that Spartans never die, which I think they do…But if it was for a good cause, like kicking alien butt, I would die too. I think the Master Chief might have died after winning the war and they made up the story about him being back on Earth…"

"Come along, Nikki, time to go." Her mother said, grabbing the little girl's hand and trying to hide the blush creeping up her face. She turned to the couple and then stuck out her hand awkwardly, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to come knocking…And I'm sorry for Nikki and her antics. I honestly don't know what's gotten into her."

"Mommy, let me go!" She grunted, trying to pry her hand away from her mother's, "John and I were talking about Reach!"

"That's enough," Latisha said sharply and then bade her goodbyes to the couple. Penny and John watched them go down the street silently but when Nikki turned back to yell something at John, she couldn't help notice that the swipe he made with his finger and the small smile tugging at the corner of his lip.


	2. Class is Now in Session

**Ah, hello again my dear readers, I hope you are all doing well. **  
**Well, this story is going to start a little bit slower than my original story but that's okay. There's more in depth things we have to do before we really dive into the delicious noms that I have to offer you! I hope you can stay with me until that time comes because I promise you, it is coming. **

**Anyway, this part has some things that probably would never happen in real life but I have heard of situations like the one far far FARRRRR below occurring. (So, just ignore it. We all need to get our stresses out some way.) **

**One of the characters in this chapter is based on Finnick Odair (my love...Mockingjay didn't happen...TT-TT) from the Hunger Games and so when you read the part (Because those of us who have read the HG will know who it is, please feel free to replace the name with Finnick Odair) think super sexy with a trident...yummmmm...**

**Dedicating this chapter to all my Oregon ladies who are reading...because I've met two of them in the past three days. Love you guys. Especially redheaded ones who name their characters Penny. (Not me. XD)**

**Please review! A well thought out encouragement or critique is always appreciated and sought after!  
**

**(P.S. Sorry if John seems a little OOC, I'm still trying to get a head for writing with him instead of Arby.)  
**

**Halo © 343 Industries, Bungie, Microsoft**  
**OCs © Flamboyant Cuttlefish**

* * *

_"Lay me down, _  
_Let the only sound, _  
_Be the Overflow, _  
_Pockets full of stones..."_

* * *

Penny raced from the MAX station, still one of the most efficient ways to get around in the ever sprawling city of Portland, towards Portland State between the two pillars that depicted scenes of great science accomplishments from the college. However, she didn't have time to stop and stare at the people that decorated the pillars. She was already running late for the first day of her classes, Em's letter tucked into the pocket of her fine pea green jacket.

She stepped through the door of where her map told her the science wing was and made the AI who was standing at the door on a pedestal look at her with distaste. He was a striking young man in a suit.

"Are you a new student?" He asked coldly as Penny tucked a strand of dislodged hair behind her ear, "Because if you are, I'm afraid you are mistaken."

Penny, who was already cranky from the changing weather and a scuffle she had gotten into with John that morning narrowed her eyes and then spat back, with acid in her voice, "No, I'm the new professor, taking over for Doctor George Walker."

The AI sneered slightly and Penny rolled her eyes, "YOU'RE the new professor? You're not old enough to be…"

Penny dug into her briefcase and then yanked out a white piece of paper that had all the information concerning the college.

"I beg to differ," She said stiffly, "Access code: AR251-97B3. Now will you please let me in?"

She hated whiners but found herself doing it because she REALLY needed to get inside the building. The AI narrowed his eyes slightly but the door opened, "Welcome to Portland State, Dr. Waits."

"Thank you," She said grumpily and stepped into the sleek, modern building, hoisting her briefcase higher up on her shoulder. Her heels clacked on the marble floor and she sighed as she glanced around, looking for some indication of where to go. Finally, she caught sight of someone walking towards her and she made her way over to that person.

"Doctor Waits?" The old man said in a German accent and she nodded.

"Yes, that's me," She said and then man frowned at her. He was very short, probably because he was stooping with a shockingly white moustache and a pair of glasses to make him look like a stereotypical scientist.

"I am Professor Gunther Auscht, head of the science department and you're late."

She winced slightly at the word "late" and then tightly smiled, "Yes I'm sorry, I couldn't find the campus."

"That is no excuse to be late," He scolded her grumpily and Penny felt herself blush. "I will show you to your office and show you your schedule. Do you have a lesson plan for today?"

Penny had spent the whole night getting one ready, which was probably one of the reasons she was so cranky. "Yeah, of course."

"Right this way, please," He turned on his heel and began walking, Penny walking slowly beside him, "Have you been an antimatter researcher for long?"

She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear before continuing, "About four years now. As you know, I studied at Oxford University from the age of seventeen to twenty four and then worked with the UNSC in the development of an antimatter generator after which I became a researcher again for them. During this time, I became a scientist on the ship, The Dancing Nile and after that mission, they let me go."

"I see," Dr. Auscht murmured and then turned right, Penny right in step with him, "When I saw the UNSC had personally suggested you for this teaching position, I knew that I was dealing with someone I could depend on." They walked in silence for a few moments before reaching a door with a frosted window with the name, "Doctor Penny Waits, Antimatter Specialist" written on it. "I believe this is your office."

"Thank you, Sir." She said meekly as he handed her the key, "I won't make a habit out of being late."

Auscht looked at her for about ten seconds before responding, "I do not expect you to, Dr. Waits. If I hear of it again, it will be the last thing I hear about before I send you packing." He looked at her over the rim of his glasses, "I have a feeling I will see you soon." He handed her a packet of papers and then turned on his heel, striding down the hallway from which where he had come.

Penny watched the strange little man leave and then turned to her new office and unlocked the door, the smell of dust and books taking her aback slightly. She stepped over the threshold of the door and felt around for the light before tripping on the rug right by the door and falling flat on her face.

Swearing softly under her breath, she stood up and dusted off her slacks before finding the light switch on the right side of the door. The office lit up instantly and Penny winced slightly under the intense glare.

The office was small but neatly made up with a desk that sat below a window with the shades drawn. A bookshelf was shoved up against the left wall with a couch right next to it. A low coffee table sat in front of the couch and a side table was next to it. The room was bare but had a massive amount of books everywhere she looked.

"Whoopee," She muttered sarcastically before throwing her briefcase down on the couch, the book "Antimatter-The Search Continues" by Dr. Isaac Quagmire fell out onto the floor along with several pencils. "Son of a biscuit."

She picked up the pencils and books and then flopped back onto the couch to inspect the content of papers she had received. Inside was a schedule of her classes and when she would teach them, a menu for the campus café and a map of where all the classes could be found. The words that Portland was still one of the greenest cities on Earth still rang true; even 540 years after the title had been given. Trees grew everywhere and the campus pretty much ran through a giant park and strolling through the city was sort of like walking through the woods, if you were in the right spot.

She opened the shades and the grey light that filtered through the clouds filled the room, making the space seem even more dingy. Penny decided she would have to bring some stuff from the house to lighten up her space. A pedestal sat next to a desk and she touched it slightly, leaping back as the AI who had turned her away at the door was standing there, a look of utter disdain on his face.

"So I guess you weren't really a student after all," He said sadly and looked at his fingernails. He was a handsome AI with sharp features dressed in a tweed suit. Penny thought he sort of looked like an actor who had walked the earth 500 years ago named Jude Law. "Pity. I was sort of hoping that Auscht would have thrown you out."

Penny narrowed her eyes and tried to find the words to make a retort but found none. The AI looked up and her and chuckled, "You look like an ugly fish out of water."

"And you're just plain obnoxious." She spat back, finally finding her voice, "Is that what you're programmed for? To be obnoxious?"

He gave a slight bow and winked at Penny, "You found me out. Well done, Sherlock."

She scowled and tucked her papers into a bundle, "I don't like your attitude."

"I don't like your face nor do I like your shoes but I'm not complaining." He retorted, smirking. Penny felt herself blush and then turned back to the desk where she continued to put her lecture in order. "By the way, my name is Osiris, if you wanted to know."

Penny didn't even look up, "Actually, I really didn't. But if I want to have a conversation with a nasty little AI, I'll give you a call."

"I'm the AI that controls pretty much everything in the college," He continued like Penny hadn't even spoken, "That's how important I am."

Penny turned from the desk and walked over the couch where her teacher's edition of her books lay, already covered in Sticky Notes lay. She shoved them back in her briefcase and then turned back to the AI, "Well, I'm thankful your powerful status hasn't gone to your head but I really must be off to teach my class."

Without allowing him to say anything else, she slammed the door of her office, locked it, and started down the hall to where the science classrooms where, according to her map. Twisting, turning corridors met her and she met a few dead ends but finally found room 210, Antimatter Study, Dr. Penny Waits and she opened the door to a classroom that she realized that something rather upsetting had been going on. Her clock was wrong and seventy eight heads turned as she walked into the room. She was, as usual, late.

The adults stood everywhere, watching her with scrutinizing eyes. She slowly walked into the room and placed her books and briefcase on the table before turning to the holoboard and writing her name on it. Dr. Penny Waits.

"Alright, please take your seats," She said and indicated to the rounded desks that lined the classroom. "Good afternoon, class. My name is Dr. Patricia Waits and I am a PhD in physics and antimatter…"

"Where did you graduate from?" A snobby looking girl with blonde waves asked, her pink pen poised above a data pad, ready to take notes.

Penny sighed and then rolled her eyes, "I graduated from King's College at Oxford seven years ago."

"Did you have any previous schooling?" The girl asked again, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "I mean, from anywhere else that might have been useful? Not that Oxford's not useful."

Penny thought for a moment and then decided to be truthful with the girl. It would impress her no doubt, "I went to school on Reach," She told her, brushing off her slacks, "Before the planet was evacuated."

The girl scoffed slightly and Penny raised an eyebrow, "Any more useless things I can tell you about my life?"

The girl hesitated but had a comeback that was less than insulting, "Where did you get your shoes? I want to make sure that I never shop there."

What was it with her shoes? She made a mental note to throw them away as soon as she got home, "I got them at a department store in California." She smirked and made sure to make the words that slipped off her tongue as natural as possible, "Who are your parents? I want to make sure that I never meet them."

Before the girl could continue, Penny had her book out and had begun talking to class, giving them their lecture on the importance of antimatter. The room became silent and filled with the tapping of fingers on data pads.

Just as she was beginning to explain the antimatter generator that she had been working on with the UNSC (The project was considered a work in progress as they found out antimatter was far too unpredictable at the time to do anything with) the bell ran and the students gathered their materials.

"Homework tonight," Penny called as they left the classroom, "Write an essay on the importance of antimatter! I expect it on my desk next Tuesday!"

She turned back to her desk and was surprised to find a young man, probably a few years younger than herself leaning up against her desk. He was shockingly good looking with wild chestnut waves, tanned skin and sea green eyes. Even under his polo, she could see the rippling muscles that moved when he did.

"Doctor Waits?" The boy asked and it took Penny a few moments to realize that he wasn't some Greek god come to life but one of her students…and she was staring at him rather stupidly.

"Can I help you?" She asked, struggling to keep her voice at an even tone.

He grinned coyly before pushing himself off the desk and blocking her path, "My name is Adrian Lye and I wanted to introduce myself to you. I try to get off on good terms with my teachers as soon as school starts."

"Well, isn't that nice of you?" She asked curtly before putting her books away in her briefcase. Suddenly, he was leaning over her, his face so close to hers she could smell his spearmint gum.

"You did good handling Florence." He murmured, one soft hand brushing up against her cheek, "She's not used to being slapped around." He wetted his lips with his tongue slightly and then smirked, "I'm not really a very good student Doctor, but I have a feeling that I can do some…extra credit during the semester to bring up my grade. Am I correct?"

Using all of will power, she grunted and managed to shove her left hand into Adrian's line of view and waggled her fingers in his face, "Sorry," She said and for once in her life, she was actually sort of sorry. It wasn't everyday extremely attractive boys threw themselves at her feet, "I'm married and rather happy."

The effect wasn't instantaneous but he did finally back off, his eyes glittering mischievously. "Ah, that is rather a pity. But, if you feel that my grades are slipping and have any…extra credit assignments for me, don't hesitate to call me." He reached into the pocket of his blazer and withdrew a piece of paper with a number on it. With that, he gave her one more seductive smirk and walked out of the classroom, leaving behind him the smell of spearmint and freshly laundered clothes.

Penny shivered involuntarily and then finished putting her books away in her bag. Hoisting it over her shoulder, she glanced down at her schedule and saw she had one more class in the afternoon which was a physics class. She sighed as she looked down at it. It was times like these that she wished she hadn't doubled majored after coming from Reach. All Penny really wanted to do was go home and take a hot shower.

At 3:45, her last class filtered out of the room and she leaned up against the holoboard, sweating slightly with hair askew. They had chewed her up and spat her back out onto the floor, little more than a pile of goo.

Worst of all, Adrian was in that class and had winked at her and suggestively put his hand somewhere where it didn't belong while walking out of the classroom. Penny wondered if any other female professors had that problem. She quickly placed all her belongings back into her satchel and flipped the lights off in her room.

She was just locking the door of the classroom when her eye caught another woman walking towards her with a coffee cup in hand. She was older, probably in her mid to late 50's with curly salt and pepper hair and a pair of bejeweled spectacles. She was heavier set but seemed friendly enough for she waved at Penny and hurried to catch up with her.

"Hello," She greeted and Penny smiled and bade her own greetings, "You must be the new girl. I'm Professor Zephyr Denali; I work in the neurobiology department."

"Nice to meet you," Penny said and then ran a hand through her hair. Zephyr chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"It gets easier, I promise." She reassured her and Penny gave her a little half smile.

"Well, when you get flirted with by the same student in both my classes and they told me things that I didn't even know." She made a face and then was silent for a few moments, "I really shouldn't have double majored."

Zephyr laughed slightly and then smiled sympathetically, "Oh you poor dear. You've discovered Adrian Lye, haven't you? Goodness, the times he offered to sleep with me to get his grade up…" She shook her head, exasperated and then sighed, "He's an idiot. Never turns in anything and thinks his good looks are all he needs in life. Good thing we're here to teach him differently." She winked, "Do you want to come to the teacher's lounge?"

Penny shook her head and then her half smile became a full one, "No thank you, I have a husband at home who's waiting for me to come home and cook him dinner and then…the same thing again, tomorrow. Maybe some other time."

With that, she hoisted her bag over her shoulder and hurried out of the college and out towards the MAX where she had just missed the Red line back towards the suburbs of the giant city.

An hour and a half later, she was walking down the street towards the house when Nikki fell into step beside her.

"Did you know your husband is a Spartan?" She asked bluntly and Penny felt her stomach tighten. When she didn't respond, Nikki continued, "He gave me the Spartan Smile. Remember? I showed you." She swiped her finger across her mouth and grinned, "I think he's the Master Chief. His Spartan name was John-117 and his name is John and he's big and strong and tall and…"

Penny stopped suddenly and then stooped down to Nikki's height. Her face was pale from the terror of someone knowing that John was the Master Chief.

"Look, Nikki," She said, trying to keep her voice steady and strong, "You're right about John being a Spartan, and even that he's the Master Chief. But you have to keep this a secret." She sighed and her shoulders slumped, "You can't tell anyone who he really is, not even your mom or dad. There are people who want to kill him and people who want to idolize him and he wants to keep a low profile. Don't…" She struggled to find the words to explain the predicament she found herself in, "Please, don't tell anyone." She finally said, staring into the little girl's dark eyes.

She stood up slowly and Nikki was silent for a few moments before speaking again, "He told me all about the war," She said quietly, "After school today. He told me what happened. He told me also what happened to your friend, Emmaline and why you two are married."

Penny was speechless. How could this happen to her? She touched the little girl's head to silence her and then began walking slowly to her house, waving at Nikki halfheartedly. She opened the door slowly, fearing the confrontation that would just continue from that morning.

"John?" She called and she heard someone moving upstairs and the thudding footsteps that indicated her Spartan housemate. When he finally stopped in front of her, his massive six feet ten inches easily dwarfing her five feet three inches, she glared up at him, obviously waiting for a response. "What the hell did you do?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked and Penny flung an arm towards the door in frustration.

"THAT, John. You told a seven year old girl that you're a fucking SPARTAN? Do you know how that could jeopardize us both? We both could be targeted! The Spartan program was designed originally to be for human rebels! Do you not think there might be some rebels on Earth? Any one of her classmate's parents could be a rebel and outside, ready to kill us both. What happens then?"

"She promised not to tell," He said, his monotone voice always staying right at that perfect level that displayed a pristine calm that Penny lacked. She hated it. She hated him.

"SHE'S SEVEN, YOU IDIOT!" She screamed, "She's a CHILD! How stupid are you? She could just as easily tell any one of her peers about you and then your cover's blown! I thought you were TRYING to keep a low profile! Did they augment you to be a dumbass?"

She turned on her heel and to stalk up the stairs but John caught her arm, "Don't insult me like that, do you understand me?"

She scoffed angrily and John could see the tears in her eyes, "You're not my father nor are you my master. You're not even my real husband. They're all dead and gone and a heartless bastard like you would never be able to replace them. Now let me go." He slowly did so and she smiled tightly, "Have fun finding something to eat tonight." She snapped and then turned on her heel and ran up the stairs, slamming and locking the bedroom door behind her.

John stood there for a few seconds before a surge of anger overtook him. How badly he wanted to break down that bedroom door, take Penny by the throat and throttle her until there was nothing left but an empty shell. He knew that she hated him and the feeling was mutual. She was too controlling.

He raced down the stairs, his hands itching to destroy something. He grasped the glass ceramics that sat on the kitchen counter-several antiques from a shop somewhere in downtown Portland and threw them as hard as he could against the wall, the noise of shattering crystal music to his ears.

Penny didn't come running downstairs but as soon as he had calmed down, he listened intently and heard the genuine sobs that filled the house. As afternoon slipped into evening, he heard her call someone and ask that person to come over later.

John retired to his bedroom and closed the door behind him as a car engine was cut from the street below. Footsteps were heard on the staircase and a definite male voice asking where her husband was. Penny reassured the voice that her husband was on a business trip and they moved up to her bedroom where John wished he could shut out the grunts, moans and wails that oozed under the crack below his door until the morning light touched the pale curtains.

* * *

**FIIIIIINICK...**Drools slightly** **

**Anyway, got a song for a character? A situation? A theme? Please, don't hesitate to leave them along with a review because as we all know, when Hannah gets her reviews, we get our updates.**

**And as always, please do review. I encourage you to leave a note of well, encouragement or some well thought out critique.**

_**Dancing like a cephalopod!**_

_**~Flamboyant Cuttlefish**_


	3. Written in the Stars

**Hi everyone! Sorry for being a loser and not updating! I'm really, really REALLY struggling with a bout of really bad writer's block on this one. I might be sending some of you some messages to see if you can get me out of this stoop. (If you have an idea, please don't hesitate to send me a PM! I need help!) **

**I wanna dedicate this chapter to all my male fans who are man enough to admit they read my stories by leaving wonderful reviews. You guys seriously are great due to the fact that Halo is geared more for guys than us girls. (Especially me who turns everything into a love story.) XD Mysteriousblade, Drake-C13 and others...you light my fire, you really honestly do. **

**Other announcements...**  
**If you like my writing, why not commission me? All my prices can be found on my profile. If you don't have money, let's trade art or stories for my works. **  
**Almost done with school! I have exactly 3 more weeks until I graduate and that's when the real updates will be happening. I'm really excited to finish all my stories this summer before I leave! **  
**As always, reviews are appreciated but not necessary. They are sort of the fire under my arse to keep the ball rolling. If you like to see faster updates, I invite you to review. You receive virtual cookies and scones and I usually will send you a thank you back if you leave a long enough or criticizing enough review. XD**

**As always...Halo and John don't belong to me. They belong to 343 Industries and Bungie. **  
**Penny is mine. :)**

* * *

_Pretty girl is suffering while he confesses everything..._  
_Pretty soon she'll figure out, what his intentions were about..._  
_And that's what you get for falling again, _  
_You can never get him out of your head..._

* * *

Several days passed uneventfully for the duo. They hardly even spoke, but the thing that kept bringing them back together was Nikki and her flamboyant personality. She came over almost every day after school, bringing news of the boys she thought was cute and more information about the Spartans. She would talk for hours to John about the war and about what she knew about the program.

Penny continued to teach but felt like her one night stand with Adrian was not important enough. He still tried to ask her how her relationship with her husband was but she merely brushed him off like an obnoxious bug. She felt bad for treating John like that…even if he wasn't her real husband, she felt like she could treat him with more respect than she had.

Finally, one afternoon about a week after they had moved in and on the day of a fancy military ball they were both supposed to attend, Penny decided to make amends for her actions against her husband.

John was sitting in the study they shared with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other. She knocked softly on the door frame and his eyes looked up to meet her own. She smiled and then pulled up a chair and sat on it, facing John.

"What are you reading?" She asked gently as John sipped his coffee.

"The Great Gatsby," He stated and a silence like molasses descended on them. "Why are you here?"

John…I wanted to come in and apologize," Penny admitted, "I'm so sorry that I took him to my bed…I was frustrated and angry and I'm so sorry. I cut all times with him several days ago." She scooted the chair closer and then smiled sadly at him, "I'm done. I want to be completely with you, even if we aren't actually together."

He was silent for a few moments before speaking again, "I appreciate the apology but what you do behind closed doors is your business. But," he said before she looked away, obviously embarrassed, "I want to know…why did you do it?"

John swore he saw a faint blush curl up Penny's cheeks like a sea dragon coming out of the rippling ocean waves, "I…wanted to get back at you." She mumbled behind her hands and John arched an eyebrow.

"What did I do for you to get back at me?" He asked softly, placing the book down, spine up so he wouldn't lose his place.

"Because you're…" She gave a breathy laugh and ran a hand through her unruly curls, "I've never dealt with someone like you before." She turned her eyes up to him and gave him another sad smile, "You nearly killed me but you saved my life too. You're a mystery and I don't know how to approach you. It's like I'm walking on broken glass and I don't know what to do."

Both watched the other for quite a few moments until John spoke again. "Don't ask me what you're supposed to do." He said, tucking the bookmark in between the pages that he was on. "You have to figure everything out yourself. But, I thank you for your apology, even though it was completely unnecessary."

He stood up and moved towards Penny, watching her with his emotionless brown eyes, making her feel like a deer in the headlights. "I want to start over with you, if that's alright." She said softly and a ghost of a smile flickered across his face. She wished so badly he would smile; wondering if that would soften her wall that surrounded her at all seconds of the day.

"I think that would acceptable," he said and gave her a short, curt nod as she smiled uncertainty back.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He glanced at the clock and then pointed at it, showing the time, "Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

Penny's eyes flicked to the clock and then widened, "Oh no! Now I'll never have time for a shower!" She yelped and dashed out of the room, leaving John in her dust. She was thankful that they had made up but she still felt like he somewhat resented her. Then again, she didn't think Spartans had feelings.

She hissed as an onslaught of hot water hit her skin and she scrubbed her hair and then grabbing the shampoo. Penny slicked her hair back with it and then sighed as the water massaged it away.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower just as someone opened the cracked door and caught a full view of her front.

Time stood still as water dripped off Penny's body and landed with small drops of noise on the floor.

"Oh, I am so sorry…" John began, stepping out into the hallway as Penny whipped out a white towel and wrapped it around her flushed body. "I didn't know you were in there…I thought you were in your bathroom."

Penny was redder than her hair when she finally stepped out of the bathroom clutching the towel to her breast.

"Well, the door was closed, wasn't it?" She snapped angrily and shoved passed him towards her bedroom.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to barge in like that. I was going to grab my jacket off the door and…"

"Oh I'm sure it was your JACKET you were getting…" She began until she saw John again march into the bathroom and remove his jacket from the back of the door. Her voice caught in the back of her throat as his bedroom door closed and she deflated just a little bit.

She slammed the door to her bedroom and leaned up against it, clutching the towel to her breast, her face still redder than a tomato. Penny took a deep breath and meandered over to her closet to pull out a rather large plastic bag that held her dress.

She then went to the bathroom and lathered gobs of tamer and other product to try and tame down her massive curls that threatened to pop up if she wasn't careful. Makeup came after she had managed to confine her hair into a rather fancy updo.

Once she was done, her eyes popped and her hair looked fantastic. She smiled shyly at her reflection and then hurried into her bedroom to grab her dress. Sliding it on, she remembered why she had picked out the dress in the first place. A beautiful Grecian gown that wrapped around her body in an emerald color that made her skin pop and her hair seem redder. A thick bracelet of rhinestones encircled her wrist and graced her neck and she quickly slid on a pair of heels and grabbed her bag, sneaking one last peek at herself.

She didn't want to approach John, especially not after what had gone down between them but they WERE riding to the ball together and so she was sort of forced to.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked as she caught his large silhouette at his bedroom door.

"Yes…" he said, coming out of his bedroom, fiddling with his cufflinks, "Would you mind…?" His head turned up and he saw Penny for the first time, "You look nice."

Penny gave him a small smile and then hurried over to help him with his cufflinks, "You're this super hero that can turn over tanks with his bare hands but you don't know how to do cufflinks."

"I'm not superhero, Penny." He said in that extremely sexy monotone voice and Penny smirked a little under her hair.

"To us normal people you are," She chided and then turned on her heel to move down the stairs, "Come on. You are the guest of honor and the guest of honor always arrives to the party half an hour late."

"If you insist."

"I most definitely do. Come on Superhero, your public awaits."

They meandered down the stairs and out the door to see…Nikki! The plucky youngster's eyes went wide when she caught sight of John and Penny in their evening garb.

"Whoa! Spartans wear suits?" She exclaimed her eyes wide and her hands clenched around her Grav-Ball. Penny smiled down at her and winked.

"No, most Spartans tend to wear dresses in their spare time." She joked and Nikki rolled her eyes.

"I was just coming over to ask John if he wanted to play Grav-Ball with my friends and me but I don't think he would want to get his fancy suit all dirty!" Nikki admitted and Penny glanced at her faux husband. Judging by his stony face and body language, he seemed more pumped to play a game of ball than go to one. Penny tried to hide her grin but failed miserably at it as John arched an eyebrow and gave Nikki one of those looks that he reserved only for her and Penny.

"Come on John. We have to go to the terrible, horrible military dinner." Penny said sarcastically, moving towards their giant SUV. "We're burning the midnight oil here."

He took one last glance at Nikki and gave her a slight smile that Penny had never been the recipient of. "We can play tomorrow, alright?"

Nikki gave him a wide gap-tooth smile and swiped her index finger across her face before John could respond with his own. "Sounds good, John! I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

She turned on her heel and hurried down the porch before turning to wave at the couple who waved back. When she was finally out of earshot, Penny sighed and turned to John who could see she was slightly smiling.

"If I ever have kids, I hope they're just as outgoing as Nikki Banes…if not just a little bit less eccentric." She chuckled and turned towards the car, John following suit, "You should tell me about your childhood sometime."

"You mean my childhood of training and augmentations?" He asked and Penny instantly felt bad. She hadn't meant to make him recall the painful memories of training with his fellow Spartans.

"No, I mean your childhood before you became a Spartan. I read your file. You're from Edinus II, like my mom."

Penny stuck the key in the ignition as John remained silent as the grave, "You don't have to answer me but…"

"Then I won't."

She made a face as she whipped around and made sure the street was clear, "Has anyone ever told you are about as stubborn as a mule?"

"I've been told that on many occasions, yes." He admitted after a time of silence between them. Penny pulled out onto the freeway and quickly merged, cutting off a rather angry father who gave her the California howdy in front of his little Jane and Billy.

"Sorry!" Penny yelped, taking the I-84 exit towards the Portland International Airport.

"Who taught you to drive?" John asked and it took Penny a few moments to realize that he was making a joke.

"My uncle the Daredevil. He nearly killed me no less than 50 times when I was growing up." She admitted, getting into the right lane.

"So, why is it I have to spill every detail of my early childhood life to you but I don't know anything about yours?"

Penny looked at him for a split second and then flicked her eyes back onto the road, "Well, okay. I was born in Cape May, New Jersey and grew up there. My dad left my mom when he found out she was pregnant with me and since she was only 16, she wanted her older brother Miles to raise me along with his three boys. Is that enough information for you?"

John was quiet, taking in this information until he said, "for now."

Penny scoffed and turned onto a road that held an extremely fancy hotel, "Wonderful. You mean I have to give you more information about my childhood?"

"When the time comes, yes."

"Great. Simply wonderful," she muttered under her breath as she pulled into a parking spot and grabbed her clutch. "I have a question. Do you know how to dance?"

"No."

"Then I guess I'm leading while we're dancing?" She asked, locking the car and taking his arm.

"How about we don't dance?" He suggested and John felt Penny's eyes shoot daggers at him.

"How about we dance and I lead?" She asked dangerously soft and John scoffed slightly.

"You know, in the realm of usefulness, dancing isn't that high up in the spectrum." John pointed out and Penny rolled her eyes but chose not to say anything. A young man was taking coats at the door and his eyes widened the second he saw John.

"Master Chief Sir!" He gasped and John arched an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" He asked slowly and Penny felt the slightly playful banter they had just experienced evaporate almost instantly.

"They're expecting you in the ballroom Sir," he admitted and placed the coats in the room behind him, "Follow me. I can take you to where you need to go." He glanced down at Penny and merely smiled at her. Of course nobody knew that if Penny hadn't been in the equation, they wouldn't even be having this ball.

Penny had saved John's life, in a matter of speaking. She had found him on the Legendary Planet and had saved him from a fate worse than death. However, in turn, he too had saved her, taking her mutilated form and bringing it to the ship that had been departing before the whole planet imploded on itself.

They hurried through the hotel's interior, many people gawking at John as they raced through corridors and through doors until the duo spilled out onto the dance floor where admirals, generals, sergeants and their dates in fancy getups turned towards the Chief and began to applaud politely.

"We didn't think you were going to show up, John." Someone said, leading him away from Penny's arm. He took one last glance at the beautiful redhead before he was led away to shake the hands of hundreds of different people.

"Have fun." Penny said softly, feeling like the gum on the bottom of his shoe. Of course nobody would pay attention to her. She was just the mask that hid John's real face from society. She took a seat at one of the tables and watched the dancing commence. She sighed and leaned her hand up against her cheek, tapping her foot out to the rhythm.

"Excuse me Miss, is this chair taken?" She turned her head up to see a handsome youth looking down at her and smiling. She smiled back and gestured to the gilded seat.

"Of course not! You can take it."

"Thank you very much!" He gushed before grabbing the seat and moving it over to a group of Marines and their dates who laughed gleefully as their comrade joined them. Penny felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach and she sighed, realizing that she was probably going to be alone forever…

The ball moved on and people joined her at her table and busied themselves to talking amongst themselves. Penny finally got so sick and tired of sitting around waiting for someone to get up and talk to her; she stood up and slipped out of the ballroom. The back of the hotel boasted a rather handsome garden that was lit aglow by the moonlight and the gentle party lights that entwined the trees like a glowing constrictor. The music was lost in the gentle whisperings of the trees and the serenading of a lone cricket.

Penny moved through the garden slowly, drinking in the beauty until she took a seat next to an elegant koi pond, removing her hair from its confines. As she sat in the garden, thinking about her best friend a million miles away, she heard three young women run out into the garden, giggling to each other.

"I think he checked you out, Ali." The tallest one with sleek brown hair giggled and the blonde between them swooned slightly.

"Did you see the size of his hands? He's probably got a dick to match! Do you think he's ever slept with a woman before?" She asked breezily and the third, a young woman who still had acne scars on her cheeks scoffed and waved her hand to dismiss the idea.

"You know Spartans. They're sex drives are gone! You'd have to work hard to get anything from that man!"

Penny couldn't take anymore. She stood up and cleared her throat. "Excuse me ladies but I believe the Spartan is married."

The three girls turned and glared daggers at her, "Who are you?" The blonde asked, her eyes more malicious than the other two put together.

"I just happen to be his wife and I don't really appreciate you talking about him like a piece of meat." Penny snapped and the tall brunette took one menacing step forward and stared at Penny down the end of her nose.

"Oh yeah? Prove to me he's your husband."

"Penny?" John's voice rang out over the garden and the brunette backed off instantly.

"Yeah, I'm down here," She said and gave the girls one more smirk over her shoulder before going to join John, "Sorry, it was getting really stuffy in there!"

He nodded and then cast his eyes downward, "Would you like to go?"

She took his arm once again and then sighed, putting her head on his shoulder, "You have no idea how much I would love to leave."

Oblivious to the girl's eyes on their back, the pair turned then eyes homeward and towards a rather quiet night in. However, a voice in the back of Penny's mind screamed at her the whole time. Why had she butted into their conversation? It was no business of hers how they felt about John and so shoving any doubts that might linger in her mind; she followed her so called husband through the throngs of people and back towards their homestead.

* * *

_-September 3rd, 2558-_

_Location: Area 51, New Mexico-_

1st Petty Officer Andrew Gallagher watched the signal move again and again across his computer screen. His bushy eyebrows were drawn together in a perfect line and he sighed angrily, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't a man who usually was dragged from his bed at 2:00 in the morning but this was important.

He flicked his amber colored eyes towards the analysist, a slight young man, who had found the data in a previously unknown planet.

"So…how long do you think this message has been playing?" Gallagher asked softly and the analysist swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly in his skinny throat.

"If we're looking at the data right Sir, the message has been playing on repeat for almost 200 years." He said and the officer leaned forward in his chair.

"How is this possible? They've only been missing for around 25…" He murmured, pursing his lips in frustration.

"I don't know, Sir."

Gallagher stood up suddenly and slammed his hand against the desk, "Dammit Collins! You're my senior analysist here! You're supposed to know these things!"

Collins threw up his hands in defeat and widened his eyes, "I'm sorry Sir! I have my teams working on pinpointing the origin of the message but so far…"

Suddenly, a girl burst into the room, slightly panting. "Collins! We've pinpointed the signal of the message!"

Gallagher moved towards the girl and she held out a manila folder, her fingers shaking slightly. "We had Quinn working on it but even she found it hard to find the exact placement of the message…"

The room was silent besides the ticking of a small clock on the stand as the two analysists stood facing their supervisor. Slowly, Gallagher turned his head back towards the two and both could see that all the color was gone from his face.

"That's not possible…" He murmured and turned to speak to his desk, "Quinn! Pull up the star system that this message is coming from!"

An AI who bore a rather strong resemblance to the actress Scarlett O'Hara popped up and nodded.

"Right away sir."

She did as she was told and what Gallagher saw nearly bowled him over. "Quinn…can you possibly play that message again?"

A staticy voice filled the small office with a plea for help. It was a female voice but it was deeper.

_"This is Kelly-087 with Dr. Katherine Halsey and Fred-104. We are alive and are residing on a Forerunner artifact. To whoever receives this message, I beg you. Send help! We are alive and have found…"_

The message fizzled out for a split second before coming back in, _"SOS! We are in grave danger."_

He turned towards the phone and picked it up. Collins gulped and wringed his hands. "Who are you calling sir?"

"Lord Hood," He said, already dialing the number, "The Spartan's coming out of retirement."

* * *

**And don't think Adrian's done with our spunky gal yet...Reviews are wonderful and I love them lots. :)**

**Eating Mockingjay hearts, **  
**Flamboyant Cuttlefish**


	4. I Hate Surprises

**Hi! I'm so sorry for being inactive the last few weeks...I've seriously been so busy with things I have to do before graduation...I haven't had the chance to just sit down and work on Fate. It's something I've been meaning to do but since I got a really nasty flame on Lend me Your Hand from an unknown person, I've been really honestly just ticked off at some of the people who have been reading. I mean, seriously! If you're going to be a mean and nasty git, then at least be man enough to sign it so I can send you a flame back! GOSH! Seriously, I'm going to eat someone's face off. **

**Other than that, as always, I want to thank you all for reviewing. Critiques are nice, praise is fantastic, flames will not be tolerated. Honestly, what are we in, 4th grade? Let's build each other up NICELY. We're all on here for a common cause and that's to write. **

**Thank you to both EmeraldxLady and (oh gosh...your name escapes me right now, but we talked over PM...I know who you are, I promise!) for their contributions to my writer's block. They saved me a whole heck of a lot of writing. They've probably saved the story as well, so go thank them.**

**Thanks to everyone who has, who is and who will review this story! You guys are like...my bread and butter. (What can I say? I'm a review-a-holic! Anything you can give me boosts my self confidence tenfold!)**

**Halo-Bungie, 343 Industries**  
**Penny, Emmaline, OCs-Flamboyant Cuttlefish**

* * *

_After all, you can be my perfect disaster, _  
_and I can be your Ever After._  
_You could be my Ever After, _  
_After all..._

* * *

The black SUV glided into the garage and Penny paused as she turned off the ignition. She narrowed her eyes and then glanced over at John.

"Did you leave the lights on?" She asked and John shrugged, indifferent to the fact that the lights were on or not.

"I didn't. Maybe they're time sensitive?" He asked and Penny rolled her eyes slowly.

"We've been living here for a week. I think we would notice if they were time sensitive…" Suddenly, her eyes widened and she leaned over, her green dress crinkling with the sudden movement. "What if there's burglars in the house?"

John opened the door slowly, reached over towards a cabinet and slowly opened it, drawing out a pistol.

"If there's anyone in there, we'll be ready," he reassured her and Penny nodded, curls popping out of her updo. Penny slowly opened her door and grabbed her purse, clutching to her chest. The duo moved as quickly as a snail as John cocked the pistol and Penny clung onto his arm, praying that they didn't shoot them before they shot them.

John held up a hand and as the seconds passed, he stuck up one, obviously waiting for the magic number 3.

1…2…3…

The door flew open and John pointed the pistol at the crowd of people who were in the middle of saying surprise when they screamed and ducked out of the way of the pistol's path of fire.

"What the hell?" Penny demanded putting her hands on her hips, "What are you doing in our house?"

"Oh my, I'm sorry we startled you!" Betty stepped through the crowd who was now moving slowly around the house. John slowly dropped the pistol and arched an eyebrow. "We were going to throw you a housewarming party but Edith thought it would be a good idea to combine it with an anniversary party! Happy three years!"

"How did you get into our house?" John asked in his calm, monotone voice and Edith cleared her throat.

"Well, I happened to housesit for the people who used to live here and I had an extra key…I'm sorry, I'll give it back if you'd like," She said and Penny nodded slowly.

"Yeah, that would be nice to get back," She told Edith slowly who's shoulders sagged at those words. Obviously she was a woman who loved throwing surprises and hated the fact that hers went so awry.

"Come on, we have all this food that everyone prepared and a cake!" Betty ushered the two into the dining room and Penny was horrified to see that her kitchen was a complete and utter mess. There were very few things in life she was particular about but one of those things was her kitchen. It was like her lab…it was somewhere she could study and explore new ways to create something wonderful.

John glanced down at Penny and she looked back up at him. They had no idea what they were going to do to get out of this.

"Come on you two! I've never seen a couple that was so apart! I haven't seen you two even touch since you've moved here!" Edith said, pushing Penny slightly towards John. She stumbled forward and John caught her in his arms. She looked up him and John was surprised to see a blush that was dominating her cheekbones.

She looked up at him in puzzlement and for a split second, he could really imagine himself spending the rest of his life with someone like her. However, the feeling was gone just as soon as it had come as Penny looked around at her neighbors who were obviously expecting the couple to kiss.

She looked back up at John as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips with surprising gentleness.

Penny felt her heart flutter. She had only kissed John about two other times in her life and both of those times, she had also felt her heart beat out of rhythm. For someone who had destroyed so much and left so many dead, he was tender and his lips were soft and warm, a contrast to her chapped mess. She almost wished that she could receive these kisses every morning of her life but that was an almost. Penny thought about how Adrian had been so harsh with her, dominating her instantly and how John contrasted him so well.

He slowly brought his hands up to cup her face and she placed her hands on his forearms, angling her head so he could kiss her better. Penny wondered if his heart was beating as hard as hers was.

Finally, he pulled away and Penny did so as well and Edith arched an eyebrow, scrutinizing their kiss. Penny turned away to keep her bright red cheeks away from the audience they had but glancing back at John, she realized that he was about as calm as a cucumber. He wasn't red at all and Penny was almost horrified that he wasn't experiencing the same things she was. Of course he wasn't. He was a Spartan, a war hardened creature that humans had created to defend, not to love.

Penny sighed softly as she looked down to see Nikki pulling on her dress.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Waits?" She said and Penny smiled and leaned down to speak to the little girl, "Do you and John love each other?"

Penny was silent for a moment before she answered, "Of course we love each other Nikki, just like someday, when you meet that special boy, you'll fall in love with him and you'll get married, just like me and John."

She narrowed her eyes and then pointed a finger at Penny accusingly, "How did you and John meet?"

Penny didn't even hesitate as she told the little girl the truth, "I met John…Well, you already know the truth about him so I might as well tell you. Speaking of which, you haven't said anything to anyone, have you?"

Nikki shook her head, her cornrows swinging wildly, "I told John I'd keep that secret and I have! Now tell me!"

Penny sighed and then smoothed out her dress, deciding to twist the truth just a little bit, "I met John when I first became a scientist for the UNSC. I was smitten with the romantic notions of Spartans and John and I were stationed on the same ship for a time before the Halo Arrays were discovered. You're probably a little too young to remember those but John destroyed them and then was lost to the stars."

Nikki's eyes were wide now, "And so how did you meet again?"

Penny laughed slightly, her laugh dwindling into a cough, "Well, there was a team that went and brought John back. I was part of that team. We got to know each other and I fell in love with him and him with me."

Nikki sighed softly and then leaned her head against the couch, "That's romantic! I have a boyfriend but he's a poophead. His name is Michael and he says that he wants to be a Spartan too but that's dumb because he's scared of EVERYTHING!"

Penny laughed again and then tugged on one of Nikki's braids, "Maybe he's not the one for you then, kiddo. Besides, you're only 6, right?"

"That's right."

"You're too young to have a beau anyway. Boys always take far longer to mature than us girls. That's why you're so brave and Michael's such a scardey cat."

"Really?" Nikki asked, cocking her head slightly, "I never knew that! What's a beau?"

Penny smiled fondly at the little girl and then stood up, "Well, now you do. And a beau is a boyfriend."

Her eyes widened and suddenly, her mother was at the side of the couch and smiling at us, "Having some girl time?"

Penny nodded in agreement, "Yup. She's telling me about her boyfriend, Michael."

"Mrs. Waits, be quiet!" Nikki demanded, obviously neglecting to tell her mother about her little friend. Latisha laughed and pretended to be angry at her daughter.

"What is your father going to say about your boyfriend, young lady?" She playfully scolded her daughter and Nikki smiled at her mother.

"Daddy's going to have a shit fit!" She proudly announced and her mother's playful expression turned to one of horror.

"NICOLE! Where did you hear that terrible language?" She demanded, grabbing her daughter by the wrist. Nikki grinned again and then looked up at her mother.

"Michael taught me!"

Penny looked from Nikki to her mother who looked like she was about to blow a gasket. "I see. Well…that's what I get for sending you to public school!"

"I'm practicing for the UNSC!" Nikki proudly announced and Latisha turned to find something over the heads of people.

Finally, a man who looked like he belonged on one of the ships in space made his way through the crowd and leaned up against the wall next to the couch. He clutched a beer in hand and had John by the shoulder whom was looking very awkward.

"Did you need something, 'Leesh?" He asked and his wife narrowed her eyes.

"Do you know what our daughter just said?" She asked in a deathly calm voice that Penny recognized instantly. It was that of a rattlesnake getting ready to strike.

"I could only imagine what came out of our dear daughter's mouth." He said before nodding at Penny who nodded back.

"She just said the S word as clear as day!" Latisha said, still horrified and her husband tilted his head back and gave a barking laugh.

"Ha! That's my girl! Already practicing for a life as a Marine, just like her dear old dad!" He slapped John on the back whom also had a beer in his hands. His expression was still stony but his eyes told a different story. They flicked over to Penny and she knew that he wanted to get out of that situation NOW.

"Don't encourage her, Mark. She's a child! She doesn't need to know those sorts of words and her father doesn't need to be encouraging her," Latisha argued but her husband just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Relax 'Leesh, we'll talk about this when we get home," Mark said and then glanced down at his daughter and gave her a wink. She winked back, an exaggerated movement that didn't go unnoticed by her mother who gave an exasperated sigh and then steered her daughter and husband out of John and Penny's earshot. They glanced at each other as Latisha looked back and gave them a pained smile.

"I'm so sorry about my family. I can't take them ANYWHERE in public! It's Nikki's bedtime anyway." Latisha gushed as she moved her family out of the room and out of the house.

Penny looked over at John and gave him a shy smile. "You missed the show."

"The show?"

"Yes, Nikki decided that her father was going to have a," Penny had to put a fist over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, "shit fit."

"Ah, I see." John said, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face, "Should we get all these people out of our house?"

Penny smiled slightly, "I couldn't have said it better myself. You could always put on your armor and run around in that until they all ran away."

John scoffed and then looked at her with an "are-you-kidding-me" expression and Penny grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"Well, it would work, wouldn't it?"

"True it probably…"

"THERE you two are!" Betty squealed and teetered over to the couple. Penny guessed that they had been there for quite some time because there were several empty bottles of spirits and wine open on the dining room table and Betty was stumbling around in her high heels. "We haven't gotten a picture of you for your wall!" She gestured to the wall of false memories and Penny and John looked at each other and Penny made a face before standing up.

"Alright, let's get this over," Penny said and tried to haul John up without much succession. They leaned against the couch and John wrapped his arms around her waist and Penny put her hands on his arms. Betty held up the touch screen and snapped a picture and John quickly dropped his arms, surprising Penny ever so slightly.

"You two are the most ADORABLE couple I've ever seen!" Betty gushed but Penny could see right through her lies. Actually, if anything, they looked strange. They were both pale but John's eyes were sallow while Penny's were full of life. However, they didn't seem to be as dull as they once were. Maybe life on Earth had given him something to smile about again.

"Okay, you and your posse can meander out the front door now," Penny said and Betty gave a drunken little titter and hiccupped.

"I was just on my way out." She murmured and after she left, the last few stragglers moved from the house and Penny looked at the mess that she had been left to clean up. Beer bottles, food plates and random clutter filled the house. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, making it stand up on end.

"This is going to take forever to clean up!" She complained but just as she was saying this, John reached forward and picked up several bottles in one hand and then turned back to her.

"We should probably get started then," he said to her, almost smiling. Penny gave a little grin and then turned her back to him to start cleaning up the dishes that were strewn around the room. If anyone passed by the window at that moment, they would have been very shocked to see a woman in a formal green dress and a man in a tuxedo cleaning up, listening to some 500 year old music. Then again, most people were surprised by the duo.

By the time they were finished, it was about 3 in the morning and Penny's head was swimming. She and John stumbled up the stairs and without saying a goodnight, crashed into her room and attempted to strip out of her dress but found the zipper was stuck.

"Son of a basket weaver," she mumbled and moved back out towards John's door. She heard the shower being turned on and quickly rapped on the door before he opened it. Penny had to keep her blush from peeking up due to the fact he was only wearing a towel.

"Yes?"

"My dress is stuck; can you help me get it off?"

"No problem," he motioned for her to turn around and she nearly shivered when she felt his warm thumb and forefinger brush against her skin. Slowly, almost sensually, but probably due to the fact that he had wiggle around the zipper to get it to come down, he unzipped her dress, exposing her pale skin.

"Okay, I got it," He said and Penny forced herself to turn around and smile in thanks.

"Thank you. I really didn't want to sleep in it," She joked and John nodded and then slowly closed the door, leaving her in the hallway wondering what was wrong with her.

Snap out of it, girl! You have to stop! Sooner or later, he'll find a girl he'll fall in love with and if you end up crushing on him, you'll just get your heart broken! She scolded herself and then hurried back into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Penny shed the dress and then changed into a pair of pants and a sports bra and climbed into bed, wondering how she was going to keep herself from falling in love with the Spartan who was living in her house.

* * *

_The Journal of Emmaline Jackson-Vadam_

_ (If you touch this book, I will honest to God hunt you down and slit your throat. I will then get my husband to skewer you with an Energy Sword.) _

_ August 10th, 2558_

_ Well, today is the day! I've been dreaming about it since I was a little girl and I am beyond excited to say that today, all my dreams are coming true. Thel woke me up at 4:30 AM and I was up and making coffee for myself quicker than I had ever gotten it before. Thel laughed at me and told me that I must have been excited if I didn't move slower than a snail. I decided to ignore the jab to my pride. He was just as excited as I was since he was going home. _

_ After a quick bite to eat with the remaining food we had in our fridge, I changed and brushed my teeth, my hands nearly shaking. Thel came in and reminded me that 'Rtas is leaving at 0600 hours whether or not we're on that ship. _

_ I took one last look at my home for the past two months and smiled slightly as I flipped off the light and took the first steps in a new life. _

_ I met 'Rtas back when Thel and I first met almost 6 years ago and instead of regarding me with judging eyes like he did the first time we met, he nodded and his mandibles turned up in a slight smile. _

_ "Good morning, my friends." He said and Thel bows respectably and then pounds him on the back. _

_ "It's good to see you again, my friend." He said and 'Rtas nodded to him as well in agreement. _

_ "We will talk more on our journey but for now, we must be off this planet," 'Rtas said and I felt a wave of excitement course through my belly. _

_ Suddenly, I heard someone shouting my name across the field and I turned to see my sister, strangely enough, bounding across the field. She looked rather strange with her pregnant belly bobbing up and down in a hypnotic fashion. Of course, after I returned to Earth, as much as I didn't want to, I had to tell my family about Thel and where I was planning to go with him after everything that had happened. _

_ She came up to me and keels over, her breath coming out in ragged gasps, "I thought…I had come…to late…" She said between gasps and I looked from Thel to 'Rtas before looking back to my sister. _

_ "What are you doing here, Desi?" I asked and she opened her hand to reveal she had a surprise for me. It was a necklace with a star on it with a black jewel in the middle, surrounded by littler green stones. _

_ "This is for you." She said, "For your…endeavors beyond the stars." _

_ She then gave me one last gift: a kiss on the cheek. My sister and I had never been the loving siblings that you see in most movies and so the kiss came as a surprise, "I hope you see you soon, Emmy." _

_ Hardly anyone called me Emmy. Usually, if they did, they would be facing my full wrath in about five seconds flat. However, my sister, as stupid as she was, had always used the nickname and I had tolerated it. It also happened to be the first name she had ever said and so, it became my family nickname._

_ "I really hope to see you soon too, Desi." I said and embraced her. Out of everyone in my family, she had been the most understanding of Thel and I and what had happened between us. Actually, my parents probably had disowned me, that's how mad they had been but Desi was surprisingly sympathetic. Of course, it probably had to do with the fact she had three kids and each one was from a different man. She was on number four and this one seemed like a keeper. They had actually gotten married before she had gotten pregnant. _

_ "We must go before the sun rises or we will not be able to clear the atmosphere without causing a panic," 'Rtas said and I hugged Desi once more before moving away and wiping a tear from my eye. _

_ "Hopefully by the time I get back, you'll be an auntie," I said and Desi smiled and I put a hand on her stomach, "If it's a girl…will you name her Grace Vreti?" _

_ She smiled at me and then placed her hands over mine, "It would be my honor." She gave me one last gentle kiss and then moved away from the ship, waving all the while as we stepped into the belly of the Phantom. _

_ I strapped myself into the seats and allowed myself one last look out the window. I could see my sister waving as the ship too off and I could see the tears in her eyes. I feel myself crying and then, I felt my hands in the hands of my beloved and I looked at him, his mandibles in a slight smile. In the moment, I reached over and kissed him gently. Most people were weirded out by the fact that I kissed my husband but there was the key word, HUSBAND. I loved Thel more than anything else in the world and I would do anything for him. _

_ He pulled back from the kiss and then he looked back at me with his strange yellow eyes, "I want you to know that I love you." _

_ I leaned my forehead against his, our sign of affection and smile softly, "I love you too. I can't wait to see your culture." _

_ I could feel him smiling as well and I close my eyes and settle back into his arms as the Phantom takes us to 'Rtas's ship, the Revelation of Truth. Slowly, as we drift back into space, I began to fall asleep, dreaming about OUR children in a meadow, somewhere we can live in peace. _

_ I will write more when we have arrived at our destination. Sanghelios, here I come! _

_ With love,_

_ Emmaline_

* * *

**I know, this was a boring as hell chapter. But I really wanted to put a little more UMPH on John and Penny's relationship...or lack thereof. And of course, we get reintroduced to our original heroine, Emmaline Jackson, married to Thel 'Vadam. **

**Anywhoo, as you all know, I am very keen on reviews and I encourage you to do so. Hopefully, your internet's not as slow as mine. XP **

**Stalking Florence Welch, **  
**Flamboyant Cuttlefish**_  
_


	5. Destiny, You Suck

**Hello my glorious readers! **  
**It is I, your leader! Ha ha ha!**

***Coughs* Uh...yeah...anyway, I'm back from the dead! This story is back from the dead! IT WILL LIVE AGAIN! (You may thank EmeraldxLady for that!) So, the story has restarted back up but unfortunately, it won't work with the first story...So, for the time being, since Halo 4 came out, we're going to disregard Lend me Your Hand because obviously, we all know what happens...so We're going to pretend that happened instead. But there will still be Emmaline and Thel and all those wonderful people...**

**So, I found out over my experience at boot camp, Master Chief is the highest rating in the Enlisted (E-9) rating in the Coast Guard. One day, I will be a Master Chief so that way everyone will call me Master Chief and I will have everyone call me John-117! (I dream big! What can I say?)**

**Anyway, as always, story will be starting up again and there is, as always, more exciting things heading your way! Reviews are lovely! It helps me know how I'm doing! **  
**Master Chief (c) Bungie**  
**Penny Waits (c) The Queen of Asgard**

* * *

_And I'll find strength in pain_  
_And I will change my ways_  
_I'll know my name as it's called again_

_Because I have other things to fill my time_  
_You take what is yours and I'll take mine_  
_Now let me at the truth_  
_Which will refresh my broken mind_

Penny's hair was a mess when she woke up. She grunted as she rolled over to look at the time. It was one in the afternoon and she was hungry. She threw off her

blankets and then padded towards the hallway. John's door was still closed and she thought he was probably still sleeping.

She meandered to their now clean living room and pulled the coffee machine out of the cupboards, making herself and John a cup. She knew how much he loved his coffee which almost surprised her in a way. She would have never guessed that he would have liked the strong beverage but then again, he was a strong guy.

Penny knocked softly on the door and John's voice was heard, muffled by the door.

"Come in."

She opened the door and smiled when she saw John lying in bed and reading. "Good…er…afternoon. I brought you coffee."

"Thank you," he said, accepting the cup that he instantly dwarfed in his large hands. "What time is it?"

"One in the afternoon, so late enough to be considered afternoon but still too early to be considered a reasonable time for getting up. Thank you again for helping me clean up the living room last night. I would have never have been able to do it myself."

He nodded and for the first time, he actually smiled at her. "You're welcome. I didn't expect you to clean up the whole house by yourself."

Penny blushed in the remembrance of the kiss they had had to share the night before and John read that on her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked and Penny turned to him, willing her embarrassment filled cheeks to keep their distance.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking of our surprise 'anniversary' party," She put quotes around anniversary and John scoffed softly.

"That was definitely a bit of a surprise," he agreed and Penny laughed softly and turned her eyes to look at the door, wondering if she should say what was in her mind.

She turned back to him and then opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, "You know, if I was married, I wouldn't mind being married to someone like you." She admitted and John blinked in surprise.

"Well…thank you, I suppose. I could definitely say the same thing about you." He said slowly before handing her back the cup and then standing up, "I'm going to get dressed now."

"Alright," Penny said, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid. How could she be so dumb?! "I'm leaving, I can take a hint."

She stood up quickly and hurried from the room. If her cheeks were flushed before, they were sure to be TOMATO red now. She shut the door quietly behind her and then sighed, running her free hand through her hair.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," She mumbled with every drop of her foot down the stairs. She then put John's cup on the side of the sink and then moved towards where the data-pad was sitting on the coffee table.

She picked it up and flicked her finger across the screen, making the electronic turn on and she began to scroll through her messages, until she came to one that was marked 'URGENT'. Penny cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, wondering what the heck the urgent thing could be. She tapped it twice and it opened.

As she read, she felt her breath leave her lungs and her eyes widen until finally, her coffee cup slipped between her limp fingers and landed on the hardwood floor with a satisfying crash.

"What's going on?" John asked a few seconds later he was down by Penny's side, reading over her shoulder quietly until he finished the letter that had been sent to him. Slowly, it registered to him. They would be coming back for them in an hour and there was nothing that they could do to stop it. Not like he wanted it to stop. For the first time, John felt a glimmer of hope. He wouldn't be trapped in this life. They had found them and he was ecstatic.

"They're coming at two," Penny whispered and then looked back at John, "We're going on a mission again."

"Just like the old days," he said, stretching. Penny was still looking down at the data pad that held the information that proudly announced the fact that there would be UNSC agents in their household in about forty five minutes. She yanked her hair back into a quick ponytail and let out a breathy laugh.

"Thank God we cleaned the house last night or we'd be scrambling." She murmured as she moved back up to the stairs, "If the UNSC agents get here before I'm out of the shower, just tell them that I'm on my way."

John nodded and hurried back upstairs to pull on an olive green tee shirt. He then turned the TV on and attempted to relax but in reality was sitting on pins and needles. What had the UNSC found that was so important?

Finally, Penny came hurrying back down the stairs in a pair of jeans, a light blue tank top, and her hair pulled back in a bandana. "Are they here yet?"

"Apparently not," John said nonchalantly as Penny dashed into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

"You are no help, you know that, right?" Penny laughed slightly as she dumped the right amount of grounds into to pot and hit the button.

"I've helped enough. I believe you are a very capable woman, Miss Waits."

To her surprise, Penny felt herself blush slightly under the compliment but she disguised this by turning her back to the fridge, "I try." She said, trying to disguise the warm tone in her voice for apathy. Obviously, it didn't fool anyone.

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door and John and Penny both whipped their head towards the sound.

"I got it. You sit down," Penny said, motioning for the behemoth man to take his seat once again. Shrugging, John did as such as Penny hurried down the hallway and opened the door. On the front steps were two rather imposing looking men in black suits and sunglasses despite the overcast sky.

"Miss Waits?" One of them asked in a no-nonsense tone of voice and Penny nodded in conformation. In perfect unison, they pulled out their badges and hung them open to allow Penny to see the rather fancy badges they had there. "Agents Bartholomew and Conner, may we come in?"

"Yeah, of course," She murmured, stepping out of the way to allow the two agents to squeeze through the door. John was standing up now and she saw the TV was off.

"You may sit down now, Master Chief," One of them said coolly as John took his seat warily, ready to jump into action if needed. "Obviously you received our message then."

"It was probably the vaguest thing I've ever read in my life," John said coldly, "Why are you here?"

Agent Conner gave a thin lipped smile and took off his sunglasses, exposing cold calculating eyes. "Are you always that straight to the point, Master Chief?"

Penny glanced down and saw his hands clench into fists that would probably crush iron. "Get on with it." She snapped angrily, crossing her arms over her chest, "Like John said. Why are you here?"

Now Agent Bartholomew took off his shades and looked at her. "Miss Waits, if you please, this is top secret information only to be given to…"

John narrowed his eyes and then held up his hand, motioning the man to stop, "I owe this woman my life. She has the right to stay."

Bartholomew was quiet for a second before smiling again and placing a tablet on the table, "On the night of September 4th, 2558, we received a message from the Spartans known as Kelly-108 and Fred-104."

John jumped up as if he had been stabbed with an electric cattle prod. Ignoring this, the agent continued, "Of course we sent teams out to find them and their search turned out to be successful. They are now back on Earth and both are requesting to see you. There are things you HAVE to discuss with them, Master Chief. They won't listen to anyone else."

John was silent as the grave before slowly sitting down once again, looking as shocked as Penny had ever seen him, "When can I see them?"

The two agents stood up and replaced their sunglasses. "We'll get the car started for you, Sir."

* * *

-Tallahassee, Florida-

Penny had never been to such a high security facility in her life.

Apparently they had run background check after background check, a blood test, a urine analysis, breathalyzer, the whole 9 yards to make sure she was fit enough to see the Spartans. In a way, she was excited. The only Spartan she had ever seen was John and she felt a butterfly of excitement flutter in her belly.

As they walked through the base with a rather intimidated looking Marine, people stopped and stared at the Chief as he walked by, head held high. Penny had to nearly jog to keep up with his long strides as they walked through the building.

Finally, they reached a far more homey looking part of the base where the Marine began to undergo a retina scan.

"For their own protection," He explained as the titanium doors opened, revealing a rather new addition to the base, "This way, please."

John and Penny walked along in silence as finally, they came to stand in front of a set of French doors complete with glass. Two people sat behind it in olive green tee shirts, cameo pants and boots. Suddenly, the woman looked up and her eyes filled with so much warmth and surprise, Penny felt herself almost get tingly. She shot up and raced towards the doors, swinging them open with so much force, they hit the walls and the glass shattered. The man soon followed.

"Oh my…John!" The woman cried before launching herself into John's awaiting arms and wrapping her arms around his neck.

They stood that way for a few moments before Kelly-104 finally let go and cleared her throat. "It's good to see you again, Chief."

Fred-108 stuck out his hand and the Chief shook it enthusiastically before letting go. Penny felt a red hot poker of jealousy stab her in the gut as John gave Kelly a look that made the Spartan woman smile softly and look down.

"Who's this, John?" Fred asked in almost amusement as Penny now felt all eyes on her. She turned and looked at each Spartan in turn. John was the tallest of them all while Kelly was the shortest and smallest with short light brown hair that just graced her jaw. Sam was in the middle of the two with copper colored hair and a wry smile plastered upon his lips.

"This is Penny," John said with a wave of his hands, "She's my…wife."

Fred arched an eyebrow and then looked at John. "I'm guessing we're going to need some more explanation about this?"

John chuckled slightly and ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, I guess I'm gonna have to explain that one."

Kelly took one last look at Penny and then touched John's shoulder softly, "Come, I want to hear about everything that's happened to you and…"

"But first we need to tell you about what's going on," Fred said, his smile turning stony.

"Why? What's going on?" Penny asked as Fred flicked his eyes towards her.

"When we were trapped on the Shield World," Kelly said, picking up where Fred left off, "We could only escape by leaving our AI Silence there…He had the coordinates to Earth."

John rolled his eyes slightly, "I don't think you quite realize that we were already attacked on Earth. We fended them off and we won the Halo wars. How much have they told you?"

"You don't understand, John." Fred said darkly, "They are building an army unlike anything we've ever seen. They have these robots they called Prometheans and they want to kill us all."

John felt his stomach drop to his feet. He knew of these Prometheans and he knew what they were capable of…Thankfully, the Didactic was destroyed. They would never be able to control the Prometheans. They would most likely be destroyed in the process.

Of course they would be.

Or so he hoped.

* * *

**More to come my precious children! Stay tuned!**

**P.S. THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews! The two I received recently really kick started this story back up. I hope I will make you all proud!**


	6. All Shall Listen

**So anyway...sorry about not updating this sooner...my time has been eaten up by the COMMS stuff at my station. I can't really tell you anything else without giving away where I live, sorry! So, this is why this chapter is so late. (Besides, I'm working on updating all my stories so bear with me)**

**Anyway, really nothing more to say than please realize that there are mistakes in this work. I was a herp derp for not getting Kelly and Fred's number's down in the last chapter. Hoping I got it down right this time...if I didn't, I'll just change it in the morning. **  
**Other than that, all I have to say is that Thel might be a little OOC because I haven't written with him in SOOOOO LONG. Rather suckish but whatever. Sienna is an OC of my darlingest sister, EmeraldxLady and so if you want to read more about Sienna, go check out her stuff. **

**Halo (c) Bungie, 343 Industries**  
**Penny (c) The-Queen-of-Asgard  
**

* * *

_What hurts the most,  
Is being so close,  
And having so much to say,  
And having you walk away..._

* * *

_The Journal of Emmaline Jackson-'Vadam_

_ (Again, if you touch this, I will eat your soul. No questions asked.) _

_ Today, we arrived on Sanghelios and I couldn't have been more excited. I was beyond excited to get onto the planet and start speaking to the inhabitants of my husband's home world. As soon as we crossed into the atmosphere, Thel pulled me aside and placed a hand on my forearm. He hadn't worn his armor in the past few weeks, only a robe that Sangheli's wore when not in combat. _

_ "Emmaline, I have received word from the council at Gwich'in. They respectfully request you wear the robes of an ambassador since you are the first human to set foot on Sanghelios," He said softly as a flutter of excitement passed through my belly._

_ He led me to the bridge where Elites moved with a purpose, getting ready to land the ship. Rtas caught sight of us and nodded in our general direction before walking over and looking from Thel to myself. _

_ "Have you heard what you are being called, my brother?" He asked as Thel casted a glance at me. _

_ "Should I have?" he asked as 'Rtas' mandibles flared slightly. _

_ "Some call you a hero, a bridge for peace. Others call you a traitor to your own kind." He now looked at me and I could almost see myself in his eyes, "There are some Sangheli who do not want you here, Emmaline Jackson." _

_ A shiver slithered down my spine as I closed my eyes and counted back from 10. Finally, I reopened them and looked back at 'Rtas. "Who doesn't want me here?" _

_ He narrowed his eyes and then sighed softly, "There are…rumors of a group of rebels who wish nothing more than the destruction of the humans once again. There are some who never wanted the war to end and they again are rising up." _

_ "I will keep her safe," Thel butted in, wrapping am arm around my shoulders. "And she is a fighter. I doubt anyone would try and hurt her." _

_ "I know…but they might try and hurt you as well. You are both targets. I cannot make a promise that you will be safe, Emmaline." _

_ I nodded and turned my head towards the window. Now the prospect of landing on the planet wasn't as appealing as it had once been. I sighed again and Thel turned me towards the aft of the ship. _

_ "You must change into your robes and I must finish getting into mine," he said and led me off the bridge. _

_ Afterwards, I found my robes and changed, wishing that they had been tailored to fit my stature. However, they were pretty enough. They were lightly colored with elaborate embroidery with short sleeves and no shoes. _

_ "I'm wearing Sangheli clothes," I murmured as I slipped on a rather large necklace and picked up a headpiece that weighed close to 5 pounds that slipped over my head and hung down my neck as if I was really Elite. _

_ "You look beautiful," Came a sudden voice and I turned to see Thel watching me with his strange eyes. I smiled and attempted to fix the headpiece only to have it tilt to the left. A deep chuckle came out of Thel's throat as he crossed the room to help me fix the headdress. He fixed it but allowed his hands to linger at my face. I smiled and brought his hand to my lips and kissed his palm. _

_ "I miss this," I murmured against his hand as he took it away and wrapped his arms around my waist, "I miss when we could just…do this. Do you remember our wedding night on the Shield Planet?" I asked, looking up at him. It was strange to think that my life could ever be complete without the creature standing in front of me. Shocking as it was that we had even worked out, I had not only come to like Thel 'Vadam but actually fall in love with him. Now I couldn't imagine myself being with anyone else. _

_ Thel's eyes took on a mischievous glint, "If I could, I would take you right here and now." _

_ I felt a blush creep up my cheeks and I leaned my head against his warm chest, listening to his heartbeat. In the months that we had been married, I had learned more about Sangheli anatomy than any other human being in the universe…for reasons that were obvious. _

_ "You're a tease, you know that?" I giggled as he leaned down and tangled his mandibles in my short hair. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning into him more. "What will happen if I'm not welcomed?" _

_ Thel leaned back and made a deep rumbling in his chest, "Then we will leave and find somewhere that accepts us as we are." _

_ I smiled slightly and clung to him tighter. There we stood for a good five minutes until an Elite in gold armor stepped into the room and bowed his head in respect. I stepped away from Thel as the Elite began speaking. _

_ "We are a mile above the capital city and will be arriving in Konar in a few short moments," he said and left the room. _

_ "I think he was implying we need to go hang onto something," I chuckled slightly and slipped my hand into Thel's. Even though there was a height difference, it never really stopped us. _

_ "Indeed," Thel agreed as we moved towards the bridge where Rtas was shouting out orders for Elites to follow. _

_ "Hang on," Thel said as I grabbed a handle and held on for dear life. Suddenly, the ship gave a mighty jolt and I went tumbling backwards, yelping slightly. Then, the world stopped moving and I felt my hand in someone else's. _

_ "Come. Let me show you my world."_

* * *

Penny uncrossed her legs and turned the phone over from one ear to the other, listening to Latisha's complaints about her husband.

"I mean, if he's going to teach our daughter those nasty words, then why even bother speaking at all?" She demanded as Penny winced as John crashed through the kitchen.

"Hang on one second…John!" Penny scolded, taking the phone away from her ear, "What are you looking for?"

"Did you get pretzels?" He asked as Penny made a face and cocked her head.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded as John came into the living room and looked at her, crossing his hands over his muscular chest.

"Did…you…get…pretzels?" He asked slowly, referring to the recent addiction he had just required. Penny rolled her eyes and pointed to a lower cabinet.

"I swear to God you eat everything in sight. If the UNSC wasn't paying for this, you would eat us out of house and home," Penny said, pulling the phone back up to her ear, "Sorry about that, John was looking for something to eat."

Latisha sighed and then started speaking again, "Honestly, I don't know what to do. I mean, I try talking to him but he just accuses me of accusing him for our daughter's mouth. I don't know what to do anymore, Penny."

Penny thought for a moment, pursing her lips until she thought of something she could say, "What if you and Mark went on a date? I mean like an honest to God date? How long has it been since you've been on one of those?"

Latisha was silent for a moment before gasping, "You know, you are so right! A date is exactly what we need to get back on track!"

Penny smiled at her friend's excitement and then switched the phone to her other ear again. "I'm so glad I could…"

"So, when are you and John free?"

"Excuse me?"

"Free so that you and him can go on a double date with us, of course! Come on, it would be fun!"

"No, I'm sorry. I've got classes and John's got work and…"

"Okay, so you're saying tonight then?" Latisha asked before Penny could stop her.

Penny sighed and knew that she couldn't be talked out of the double date idea, "Yes, I believe that we're free tonight. What time and where?"

Latisha thought for a moment before answering, "How about 7:00 this evening at the Blue Blues Palace?"

"You mean that jazz bar on Flanders?" Penny asked as Latisha confirmed her suspicions.

"We'll see you tonight!" Latisha said brightly and then bade her farewell. Penny dropped the phone to her side and sighed, looking towards the kitchen where she could hear the sound of crinkling cellophane.

"John?" She called as he poked his head out of the kitchen to look at her.

"Penny?" He responded in his cool, monotone voice.

She sighed and ran a hand through her curly red hair before flopping her arm down, "We have a date tonight and I don't want to hear any 'and', 'ifs', or 'buts' about it. We're doing it for Latisha and Mark.

"Can't you just go and I'll stay here?" He asked as Penny felt irritation creep into her voice.

"No, I can't just go and you stay here. That defeats the whole purpose of a date!" Penny responded sharply, looking at the clock. "Now will you please put something nicer on that that? We're leaving at 7." Without another word, Penny stood up and flounced off to her room before slamming the door behind her, grabbing a pillow and screaming into it. Why was he so anti-social?!

Oh yeah. Spartan. Duh. Her brain reminded her as she took the pillow down from her face. Why was she so upset with him not wanting to go on a date with her? She shouldn't have been phased but indeed she had been. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was only four and they still had plenty of time before they had to be downtown to go the Blue Blues Palace.

Penny picked up her holopad and proceeded to send an email to the only person she could think to send an email like this to.

_Dear Em,_

_I know you're off flying every which way across our galaxy at this point and I know you probably won't get this email until you're home but I needed to send it to you anyway. Is there any possibility I'm actually starting to like John? He's about as stubborn and pig headed as a rock but there are moments that I actually find myself liking him._

_Of course, there is always Kelly and Fred. Oh, you probably didn't hear about that. The Spartans known as Kelly-087 and Fred-104 are back and they're saying something about an army that's being built up on a shield world or something like that. John said that it's going to be a few more weeks before anything comes into light so we'll see what happens._

_Anyway, I hope you're having a wonderful time with your Elite husband and you're making lots of cute nieces and nephews for me to spoil!_

_Love, your confused friend,_

_Penny_

* * *

7 P.M. came too quickly and Penny found herself shoved into a too tight black dress, her hair pinned back from her face and in heels across from Latisha who was smiling awkwardly. Nobody was talking and the atmosphere was tense.

"So…Mark, tell me about your time in the Marines?" Penny asked, attempting to break the silence.

Mark glanced at John who looked right on back and then spoke, sipping on his beer for a moment, "Well, you know how everything went down with the Rings and shit and…"

"Mark!" Latisha wailed, slapping him with her purse, "You said you were going to stop with that language!"

He slammed his hands down on the table and glared at his wife, "You know that's how I talk, 'Leesh. You knew that when you married me, you knew that when Nicki was born and you know that now."

"You promised me you were going to change, Mark." Latisha said and put her head down in her hands. Penny glanced over at John who, in turn, glanced back over at Penny and then looked at the voluptuous jazz singer as if she was the most interesting thing in the world.

"I never said that!" Mark said before Penny whipped her head back and motioned for a waiter to come over and take their orders.

"Oh just like you didn't say that you hadn't been sneaking around with that…woman!" Latisha snapped as Penny smiled at the waiter.

"Yes, we're ready to order," She said brightly as Mark and Latisha stopped arguing…for the moment.

"Alright, what will it be?" He asked as Mark spoke.

"I'll have the sausage gumbo with salad," He said, handing the menu back to the waiter. He finished writing down the orders until he came to Penny who was the last one to go.

"Can I get the catch of the day?" She asked, handing back her menu, "With a bowl of your clam chowder?"

"Of course." He gathered up the menus and then set off towards the kitchen, leaving the two couples to their own devices. Latisha and Mark continued their squabble as Penny and John sat in an awkward silence.

The jazz singer warbled on with some Cole Porter song that Penny only knew because she had once been obsessed with Cole Porter.

"I've got you, under my skin!

I've got you, deep in the heart of me!

So deep in my heart, you're really a part of me!

I've got you, under my skin…"

With a horrible fascination, Penny noticed the woman singing moved from her spot on the stage towards their table, her green eyes fixed on the four sitting next to each other and continued to sing, going from one person to another. When she reached John, she smiled and then finished a line about how people told her she should give up before even trying.

Finally, at the last line of the song, she looked at Penny and winked before dropping the microphone, people applauding politely.

"Now here's a sight for sore eyes! Four people barely even talking to each other and sugar," she said, turning her eyes to Penny, "I don't think I've ever seen a married woman shy away from her husband so! Why don't you give him a big ol' kiss right there?"

"We're good," John interjected as Penny opened her mouth to say something. Instantly, a fire of irritation started back up in her belly. They were technically married, how come he got to make all the decisions?!

Penny narrowed her eyes but chose not to say anything as the jazz singer went and began another Gershwin song.

Penny groaned internally and then endured the awkward silence until their meal came and they could eat in peace. As soon as the meal was done, John hopped up and grabbed their waiter, nearly begging (as much as a Spartan could beg) for the bill. The whole exchange of credit cards and signatures took a little less than 5 minutes.

"I'll call you," Penny mouthed as John took off out the door and Penny followed close behind. It was a warm late summer evening and Penny nearly took out a pedestrian as she tore out of the restaurant.

"Excuse me," she mumbled before catching up with John who was walking towards the Willamette River. "Hey, wait up!" She called, glancing down at her watch. The whole, 'double date' had taken less than 45 minutes. When she finally caught up with him, she grabbed his shoulder and tried to turn him around, "Are you out of your mind?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," John said nonchalantly as Penny's mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water.

"You barely said a word in there and you didn't even wait around for the bill!" Penny spat as John shrugged off her hand.

"So?" He asked, continuing to walk/

"In case this is all new to you, MASTER CHIEF," She spat, getting some glances from people on the sidewalk, "The way normal people work is that they WAIT for the bill. They don't just get up and get it and go."

He kept on walking as if he had never heard her, "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Penny yelled as he disappeared from sight. "You can't just walk away from me!"

"Wanna bet?" Came the nasty remark as Penny opened her mouth to say something but then decided to follow.

They walked for fifteen minutes down the Waterfront Park in silence, barely looking at one another. Finally, Penny sat down, her feet killing her. John hesitated but then sat down next to her slowly.

"I know that we're supposed to be all lovey dovey, husband and wife like, but if we're anything like those two, I want you to kill me now," Penny said feebly and the ghost of a smile crossed John's face, "We need to work at this. This isn't working for either one of us."

"I've noticed that," John said, looking out at the sparkling water.

"Maybe we should get to know each other a little more," Penny suggested. John suddenly leaned in towards her and arched an eyebrow.

"Fine. Maybe you can tell me about your past a little more." He said shortly as Penny winced and looked out towards the water.

After a moment, she sighed, "Alright then. As you already know, I was raised by my uncle's family after my mom couldn't raise me anymore."

"Go on."

Penny smiled slightly and then took all the pins out of her hair, "Well, when I was growing up, I used to know this guy and his name was Carl. Carl and I dated for quite some time through high school and I thought I was in love. Well, as it turned out, Carl thought he was in love too and proposed to me at our senior prom. Stupidly, I accepted."

John was silent for a moment before speaking again, "So…why aren't you married now?"

Penny scoffed and he saw her fists clench slightly, "Carl ended up getting cold feet and ran away with one of my bridesmaids. Pretty sure they're unhappily married, living in a trailer in Oklahoma with their 2.5 children. Or maybe they died on Reach…I can never remember these things."

John thought about this for a moment before speaking again, "You said you were originally from earth, correct?"

"Yup. Cape May, New Jersey. Where are you from?"

He was quiet for a moment before finally answering the question, "Eridanus II."

"Oh. I had family from there." Penny said quietly before an uncomfortable pause passed between them, "Hey, John?"

"Hmm?" He asked, still looking out over the water.

"Have you ever…you know, been in love? Or have you ever had a romantic interest?" Penny asked softly as John's eyes took on a softer look about them, more far away even.

"Yeah, I did once. Her name was Sienna Kilburn and she was a private who I met before Halo ever started." He said, eliciting a gasp out of Penny.

"But…wasn't that improper to have someone of your stature to even be seen with an E-3?!" Penny demanded as John chuckled bitterly.

"Yeah, it was. We had to keep it a secret but eventually, I had to tell Dr. Halsey who quickly shut down any romantic feelings between us. Sienna was shipped to another cutter while I stayed behind. It was only when I landed on Halo, I saw that she had become Sargent Kilburn and if I hadn't been a Spartan, we could have had a life together…"

"What happened?" Penny breathed, barely taking her eyes off John.

"Well…" John winced slightly and Penny could hardly believe that she had seen it, "She...Died. She was stabbed in the back by an energy sword by an Elite." He turned away and closed his eyes, "She died in my arms. It was exactly where she needed to be."

Silence closed in around them as Penny soaked up this information. Leaning back, she looked out over the setting sun and wondered about what was going through John's mind. Did he feel the same feelings she did? The same, gut wrenching, head spinning feelings? Or was she just going mad?

Maybe she was, after all, just a little bit crazy.

* * *

_I am nothing, yet I am everything._

_How is this possible? I find myself drifting through time and space, barely knowing the way. I am lost. She's done this to me, she's the one who betrayed everything!_

_Why doesn't she love me anymore?_

_I worked so hard to make everything perfect to keep us together but in the end…it was the love I had for her that destroyed me._

_In the beginning, it's the hatred I have for her now that brought me back. A fire burns so fiercely, I can almost see the flames flickering before me. I must destroy her. I must destroy them all so that I may once again control my army and take what rightfully belongs to us._

_I feel their presence before I can see them. However, they are there with me. No matter where I go or do, they're always right there, watching me, judging me. They know I hate her and they hate me to. I know this because they are silent. I cannot speak to them for it is like talking to a wall made of stone._

_"Oh Precursors! Why do you not answer me?!" I scream out, trying to make sense out of the nothingness I have become. Why am I nothingness again? Oh yes. She betrayed me. She betrayed our entire race. No. She saved us._

_Betrayed._

_Saved._

_Betrayed…_

_I cannot do this anymore._

_"Child of our blood and spirit, you know what we will say. We said it to your father's and their father's before them and you know that the answer will always remain the same."_

_"Tell me again…Tell me again!" I roar angrily as I hear the whisper of a planet. It's beautiful from this far up and I can see a young man and a woman who is trying to get away from him...The woman should give him a fair chance before I destroy them. I know what it is before they even answer._

_"When one speaks, all shall listen." The voice hums in the darkness as I watch a world I wish to control, fade before my very being._

* * *

**So...we have the stage set, the lights are flashing...what shall become of our story?! **  
**Tune in...whenever I update it next! **


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